Until We Meet Again
by MaryChuu
Summary: Natsuki and Shizuru meet through different lifes under different circumstances. The love between them always exists, but there is a curse that has to be resolved. Is Shizuru just a typical girl? How can Natsuki handle this and help her through?
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Just to make it clear about how this is going to be. There are going to be different stories within the fiction and each one is a different reincarnation of Natsuki and Shizuru in a specific time/era and situations. Some of the stories may be based on real facts from the past, while other will be made they will be subtly connected to each other, showing how they character has changed from their past experiences and what they had learned from their past lives.

**Prologue**

A myth written on an old box with yellow pages and smell that indicated mold, once had claimed that there are some people in this world who have never met, seen or even aware of each other's existence. Despite that, they are not strangers.

How is that possible? According to that book, past, present and future are all connected and time is not just a straight line. Love is the force and energy that makes it possible.

Some call it soulmates...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of those Mai Hime cahracters!

**Behold my kingdom**

**Chapter 1**

In the distant past, somewhere along when kings were ruling the world. A time when people had no rights whatsoever unless their blood was royal, that was an era when you would be happy if you leaved long enough to watch your children growing up to adulthood.

Poverty was plaguing at least 90 ninety percent of the population, while all the wealth was gathered on the few, that were usually the kings or their relatives. Long enough when the quickest transportation were the horses- an animal that was a privilege only for a few.

It would be strange to not mention that women and children were treated nothing more than properties and puppets. If a young girl ,on a very rare occasion, could find a husband who was willing to keep her in his house and not sell her to a pimp or as a slave she was considered a really lucky person indeed.

That was the time when a girl happened to be born in. A time where she felt it was a big mistake to be born into...

Natsuki was working as a gardener of the huge royal palace. A couple of years ago, her mother had become sick. Having no money for a doctor and medication, Natsuki tried to save her by using herbs, but it only gave her some extra months of leaving more.

When she passed out, Natsuki and her sister were left alone and unprotected. Their father was killed in the war a long ago too, so Natsuki and Alyssa had no parents or relatives left.

Studying about plants for a hobby all those years didn't go on a waste though. It actually saved her and her younger sister from selling themselves for a piece of loaf. One morning, the navy haired girl heard from the palace's crier that a vacant spot in the huge garden required a worker. Someone who knew about all of the different pieces of flowers, trees and herbs of that huge place. The King, Eliot VI of Windbloom, couldn't find a person suitable for that position.

Noone seemed like they could treat all of those plants in the way it was required in order for them to not whither or die. He had already hired some suggested gardeners but their abilities turned out to be deficient. The idea of hiring an ordinary person was his last resort. He didn't believe that he was going to find a suitable person for that spot, after his last gardener's death. But when Natsuki, among with twenty four other candidates ranked the highest score, much higher than the second, it was obvious that the job belonged to her...

~Sound of horse pedals entering~

"Kuso!" Natsuki coursed.

"What is it again?!" the other girl next to her asked, in a way that indicated she was used to this type of situation.

"Don't tell me you can't see this !?" the girl answered, almost shoving her bleeding finger to Mai's face.

"Of course I am! This thing flows like a river!" the orange haired girl replied teasingly, trying to calm her friend down.

Mai was the gardener helper in that palace. The one who scored second on the King's test. Her situation was similar to Natsuki. Her parents were both dead, a very usual phenomenon for that time and place, and she had a younger brother who was also sick.

"But it hurts damn it!" Natsuki protested, squeezing her finger trying to lessen the pain. "It's the second time in three days that I cut my finger on the same spot!" she almost yelled, before two hands were wrapped around her mouth, silencing her. "Maybe if they actually gave us better tools-"

"Shhh!" Mai stopped her immediately. "The King with a new wife are coming in..." she whispered, preventing the angry rant from the bluenette.

The both stood still, putting their right hand on the left side of their chest, as a sign of respect to his highness.

King Eliot was smiling. He was a man of very different smiles though. That day, his facial expression looked like he was coming from a war as a victor. It seemed so stuck up to Natsuki, that looking at him made her cringe. Of course she had to hide it very well in front of him. Eliot was a young man on an age for marriage, on his middle twenties. After his father's death on the war, his become the new King at the age of twenty two. He was an attractive tall man, with brown hair and grey eyes. That, plus his prestige as the young King was attracting the women around his Kingdom like a magnet.

_'People are suffering in this country, and that prick lives happily on his palace with a new addition to his Harem every week.' _she angrily thought, struggling to prevent a fist to be formed on her left hand.

The King was galloping on his strong brown horse, while the horses of his guards and a second horse were following him.

Natsuki squeezed her eyes a little, trying to be as discreet as she could, zooming at the unfortunate girl who was going to be added Eliot's collection of women.

Her emerald eyes flew on the skin of that woman. It seemed silky and porcelain like. Smooth like milk. Her hair were long and fell at the level of her lower back. The color was light brown or better, chestnut.

In a quick glimpse, emerald caught the color of those eyes. Red like fire.

"Mai..." Natsuki whispered with her eyes secretly widened, when the horses were gone.

"What is it?"

"This girl..." Natsuki replied still stunned.

"That girl...?" the other gardener wondered, pointing at the horse that carried the king's new wife.

"I-I know her from my village...she doesn't seem happy to be here!" Natsuki said, restraining her self from yelling again. For a bizarre reason, her heart was running really quickly inside her chest. That feeling was similar to anxiety, but not as depressing though.

Mai put her hand on her mouth, trying to be polite to her friend's out the blue note.

"HAHAHA!" she finally burst on laughter after not being able to make it go away.

"Maai!" Natsuki angrily protested.

"Hah..I'm sorry Natsuki..." the orange haired girl said, weeping away a tear from her eye. " You know all of these women are extremely lucky to be with the king, instead of being forever sold in the market, right? The life on the palace for them is privileged. Only the best get to be in there though..."

The bluenette's eyes widened again.

"How is it a privilege to be on this man's harem?! How is it a good thing to spend your life as a prisoner of his wishes?! " Natsuki said on clenching fists.

"Wow, please calm down...someone may hear you!" Mai said on a low tone, whispering it.

Natsuki forced herself to calm down. She knew that Mai was right. If anyone heard her talking about the king or his harem like that, the punishment was surely death. Her sister was not going to survive without her for sure. That's how it was at that time.

You didn't like the King or his orders? You had any objections about the political system and doubted the Royals' decisions? You were a woman who thought you were equal to men and not a potential slave?

Death.

"Look, we both know we can't have everything. Our options can never be good. But we can choose the less bad ones. I'm sure this girl feels very lucky to be here. You should feel lucky that you have this job too. Heck, I feel lucky about being on this job. If it wasn't for this...Takumi...Takumi whould..." Mai tried to finish but, tears flooded her eyes. Soon, she was bursting into her friend.

The bluenette remembered her mother's words. '_Always stick with the people close to you, if you want to survive. Never let go of your sister or friends if you make any'_

A tear rolled down her cheek as well. "There there." she said to her friend, trying to calm her down. "Takumi and Alyssa are going to be fine as long as we stick to our duties."

Mai nodded to Natsuki and whipped out her tears. Noone should see the gardeners crying. It was certainly an act that the king may thought as suspicious.

"Well, well..." a sudden voice made the two workers to startled by the surprise and fear. It was the woman Natsuki loathed the most. Rei Takaneshi. A blonde busty girl with long hair and brown eyes. The king's most favorable wife in the harem, and the biggest prick of them all, as Natsuki thought.

"Were you two slaves crying?" she asked mockingly. "Why so?" she faked compassion. "Maybe you want me to tell that to my husband so he can help you?" she said on the most mocking way. She seemed like she really enjoyed belittling- as she thought- the girls.

"You IDIOT!" Natsuki screamed.

Before Mai could even realize it, her friend had thrown herself on the blonde and Natsuki's palm was going to land on Rei's cheek.

"Natsuki NO!" Mai screamed as she managed for some split seconds to stop the gardener's hand from hitting the face of the blonde.

"Hmph..." Rei sneakily smiled. It seemed as if she liked to provoke Natsuki, so she would hit her. "How is your sick brother Mai? Is he ok?" she asked the orange haired gardener on her usual provoking tone.

Now it was Mai's turn to get extremely angry at the blonde.

"Get away from here idiot!" Natsuki yelled.

"Don't do anything stupid Natsuki" Mai advice. "This is what she wants you to do!"

It was true. Rei thought of herself very highly. When she had gone inside the palace, she had completely forgot that she used to be poor like everyone else. Her main goal was to be the King's first wife. To become the Queen. She already thought that this was going to happen, so she enjoyed to mock the less fortunate ones.

On Natsuki's case though, it was a little different. Rei didn't like the bluenette's personality at all. She used to provoke her in every way she could, so Natsuki would finally hit her. And the rules were clear about this.

If someone dared to defile any of the King's wives, the punishment was a torturous death by burning them alive. Rei knew about Natsuki's easily provoked nature, especially when someone mentioned her sister or family. That rebellious girl was certainly a broken little dog after all, Rei used to think on a sarcasm.

"I should get going. There is something more important than you today in the palace." The blonde smirked as she turned away and left.

"That..." Natsuki formed tight fists. After some moments though, she rethought of those words. '_Somehing more important today?'_

"M-Mai?"

"Yeah?" the girl asked. She had already turned back at her duty, trimming the flowers.

"What did she mean by taking care of something in the palace?"

The orange haired gardener moved her shoulders up, as an indication of not knowing. "How should I know? She's crazy anyway. Look, Natsuki stop paying attention to that prick. We should just focus on our jobs here, ne?" Mai said to her friend, while looking at the flowers and how much they were glowing. "Besides, you know how her life goal is to become ." the girl said on a mocking way. "Maybe she's going to be after that new girl or something..."

"That's what I thought too!" Natsuki agreed, by folding her arms.

"Anyway, we should move on from the flowers to the trees. It seems like we'll leave late today again." Mai said on a tired tone. "By the way, you said you know this new girl?" she asked curiously.

"Y-yeah...she's from the same area as me." Natsuki said lowering her eyes. "I've seen her around, but never talked to her. She was pretty popular in my village too." the bluenette informed on a low tone, still looking down the ground while she was watering the flowers.

"I see...no wonder why the King choose her to join the harem." Mai stated, putting her finger on her chin. "I mean, she was pretty attractive, right?"

"I...guess."

"Hope that Rei doesn't cause her much trouble."

It was a well known fact how the blonde lusted after the King and the position of Windbloom's new Queen.

"Let's move now shall we? I don't want to be very late again Natsuki!"

The gardener just nodded. The new girl didn't seem like the rest of the women in that harem. Everyone inside that harem seemed like a cheap girl, having nothing more than their good looks and body.

But that girl...she was different. Natsuki could feel that. It was sad that she would have to be among those women.

_'A ruby among the dirt...that's what it is going to feel like...' _the bluenette mentally said. After that thought, her heart felt like it become a little heavier for no reason. She put her hand on her chest, but it didn't seem like there was some injury there. Maybe it was just her imagination.

0~0

Shizuru just walked in her room. The one in so many at that palace, where each girl would sleep every night and consider as her new home. She sighed in relief when the servant let her bags inside, and left. She put her head on that door, closing her eyes.

She wished that this was all a bad dream, that she would wake up from in the morning. But it wasn't. She looked at her room. It surely seemed bigger than she expected. Walking down the paths of that big place, she noticed how all the girl were gazing at her. Death glares that felt like a warning. Everyone in there wanted the King, and Shizuru being the newest addition, it was certainly a threat for them, as well as their newest mocking object.

Shizuru was well aware of how those things worked inside the King's harem. Everything was a competition she didn't wish to be a part of. Heck, she hated it so much, she couldn't even think about it. The brunette was never going to accept being on that harem. But if you happen to catch the King's attention, you really can't decline him for long.

~FLASHBACK~

Eliot used to take his usual strolls at night down the paths of the village. Shizuru was working in the local market with her cousin, Arika. When the King first laid his eyes on her, he smiled. He stood there obviously checking the brunette from head to tow. When Shizuru didn't smile back, but tried to avoid his gaze out of hidden disgust, he became even more interested in her.

"What do we have here..." Eliot said, grabbing her from the wrist. Shizuru's body protested really hard on his touch, but she had to endure it if she wanted to get back home alive.

Not only she could never find a man attractive, but that man was repulsive to her for being the wealthy king that left the people starve while he enjoyed the merits of his privileged life on the expense of the poor people of the country.

She turned her face back, managing to put the perfect deceiving mask for 'His Highness'.

She smiled, after bowing in front of him on a very lady like manner.

Eliot smiled but, kissing her hand. "You my lady. What is your name?"

The brunette didn't want to tell her name. She didn't even want to look at him. The more upset she felt, the better the mask was becoming.

"It's Shizuru my King." she said very politely to him, on her usual melodic tone.

Her voice was ringing like a song to his ears. Her posture and eyes were mesmerizing...

"What a beautiful name for such a beautiful lady." he politely said, while smiling at her.

That was the night Shizuru was first spotted by the king. In her gut, she had a really bad feeling about that. The next night Eliot proposed her to join his Harem. Shizuru tried to decline, but she looked at her cousin and the king's guards around her. That was a subtle warning of things to come if she ever dared to decline the most important man of the country.

The choice was either be one of his wives, of watch all of her beloveds dying.

0~0

The door of that big room, that was Shizuru's new home was knocked.

"Come in"

A short haired girl with freckles got inside. She seemed shy and resembled nothing like the women from the harem.

"I'm your room's attendant and the King's messenger to you." the servant informed, bowing down at the brunette's knees.

Shizuru felt really bad on that gesture. "Please get up." she just said to the girl.

"O-Ok!" the girl immediately got up.

Shizuru sighed. "Look, you don't have to bow in front of me. I'm just like you." She said.

The servant's eyes widened and she coughed.

"Are you ok?" Shizuru asked the flustered girl.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you."

"What is your name?"

The girl started coughing again. She was used to the rude, demeaning comments of the women from the Harem. But a girl from king's collection talking to her like she was...a human? That was the first time she ever witnessed something like that!

"I-It's Yukino my lady." she politely said, still scared though.

"I'm Shizuru. Nice to meet you." she added, reaching her hand to the servant, in order to greet her.

That move made Yukino scared again. "I'-Im sorry. " she said really quickly

Shizuru's hand remained empty on the air, as Yukino would never dare to even touch one of king's wives. After a moment of realizing that the greet wasn't going to be returned, the chestnut haired girl removed her hand back.

"Th-The King is going to be ready in less than half an hour. He said that you should be ready for tonight too and take a bath."

Shizuru flinched at that. Of course she had completely denied her duty at the first night in that palace, which was being at the King's mercy for anything he wished from her. Her heart started beating really fast and cold sweat came down from her neck. Her red eyes widened, as they struggled not to reveal the feelings behind that mask. The feelings of fear and disgust.

"Thanks you." she finally said, on a cold tone.

Yukino bowed quickly in front of her again. "Our palace's gardener is going to come and prepare the room in a moment. She's the one wearing the working suit with the kingdom's stamp on the shirt. If anyone else come here beside her, don't open the door." the freckled girl informed.

It was true, jealous women from the harem may try to kill the new additions right from the first night. The king wouldn't be able to find who that was out of all of them, or even if it was even one of the women from his harem. So it was going to be really easy just killing her without getting caught.

"Thanks a lot." Shizuru said honestly to Yukino.

"I-It's nothing." the servant said. "Please be careful one-san." she added, and the she quickly left.

Shizuru sighed once again. She locked the door, taking the advice from Yukino. As the time was coming though, the brunette wondered if getting killed would probably be better than staying in that palace for the rest of her life. She didn't want to admit it to anyone but herself, but committing suicide was one of her last resorts. She was filled with sorrow after her parents death and she had noone to love beside her cousin. She always felt so alone, so empty. And being on the king's harem now, had sky rocketed those feeligs to a point of making her thinking about her only options.

The door knocked and Shizuru got startled, making her thoughts to stop.

"Who is it?" she asked on a seemingly calm tone. Deep inside her, she was trembling though.

'_PLease, not the King...' _she wished.

"I-I'm the gardener...I came here to prepare your room." a voice said from behind the door.

Shizuru exhaled in temporary relief.

"Please...come in..." she said to Natsuki, while opening the door. When she looked at the girl, she almost smiled forgetting the situation she was in.

Crimson met emerald, and the navy haired girl felt a knot on her stomach.

Natsuki stood there for some seconds before entering the room. The gardener was holding a basket full of red and white rose petals.

"I here to prepare your room..." the gardener said, avoiding the gaze of those eyes.

"I know..." the brunette replied, sounding nothing like excited at all.

Natsuki walked towards the double bed and after straightening perfectly the sheets, she started purring the pedals all over the bed. After that, she entered the bathroom, filling the bathtub with water, while purring some extremely nice smelling herbs and flowers inside. Shizuru curiously followed her, watching the bluenette preparing the tub.

"This is for you and the king for tonight." she informed the chestnut haired girl. Her tone sounded as neutral as she could. For some reason though, she couldn't help but feel bad for the brunette.

Natsuki was used to preparing the room's for the king and his wives every night, so feeling this didn't make any sense to her. She should be used to that by then. She was always reminding herself that those women actually enjoyed being the king's companion.

Shizuru noticed how the gardener was tensed up. "I see." she just said, trying to break the silence. That voice though, made Natsuki only more surprised as she almost jumped from her position. Her emerald eyes finally looked at the woman near the bathroom's door.

'_Kuso that feeling again...' _she mentally coursed herself again.

Little did she know that Shizuru was more upset that her.

'_She seems...familiar...' _the brunette thought. At that, her heart protested a little. Did she know that gardener from before?

A look at those emerald eyes, reinforced that feeling. They seemed so...familiar. Her heart started beating for seemingly no reason. It felt familiar. She approached the gardener more, still holding the gaze they were exchanging.

"What is you name?" she just asked, while the distance was becoming lessen without them noticing.

"M-My name is..." the bluenette tried to say, but the sound of the door opening was heard.

Natsuki gulped and drifted away from the girl immediately. "Looks like my work here is done."

"Wh-What?"

"The king is here" the bluenette just said. A strange feeling started burning inside her chest. The hate for that man's being was overwhelming her. She could still manage to hide it though.

Heavy steps starting walking, as the man was whistling mischievously inside that beautiful room.

Natsuki turned off the water, as she avoided looking at the brunette for any more.

Eliot was at the door of the bathroom, looking at his new wife with a bright smile. His grey eyes were lighting up as Shizuru's gut felt twisting on his sight.

"You are released for today, slave" the brown haired man said to Natsuki.

The bluenette just nodded, hiding her hatred filled thoughts for him as she walked out of the room.

When the door closed, Natsuki's heart felt like it was going to be sank. She put her hand on the left side of her chest. What was that feeling? Was it that she felt sorry for the new girl? But why would she? That was what everyone from the Harem desired anyway.

Natsuki sighed once again, walking away from the room, down the hall. She ignored all the glares from the rest of the women from the harem. That was something she was used to every night anyway. When she would prepare the room for one of the King's wives, the rest of the women would look at her like they were about to kill her. Heck, like that was even her fault!

The gardener went out from the palace, while Mai was waiting for her on the entrance. They homes were almost an hour and a half away from the palace, and they walked that path twice per day.

Mai smiled at her friend when she was finally released. "Let's go home Natsuki" The gardener just nodded. "Is there something wrong?" Mai asked, putting Natsuki's bag on the girl's back.

"I-I'm just tired Mai." she faintly smiled. "Let's go"

"That's the spirit!" Mai cheerfully said, as they both started walking off that palace for the night.

**0-0**


	2. Chapter 2

**Behold My Kingdom**

**Ch2 **

The night is getting deeper. Under the darkness of the sky, two girls were walking inside the thick forest.

"Ne, Natsuki!" . That was the third time Mai tried to get her friend's attention, but it seemed that the girl wouldn't respond. "Hey I'm talking to you!" she finally pushed Natsuki aside, making her almost loose her balance.

"Baka!" the girl exclaimed. "I almost fell!" she complained, dusting off her clothes.

"What's wrong with you tonight?" Mai asked concerned. "I was talking to you but you didn't seem to listen..."

"W-Was I...?" Natsuki asked on a surprise.

"Positive." came the reply, while they both kept on walking through the forest. They had already walked for the first hour, and the biggest part of their way home was already over.

The route wasn't very pleasant though. Having to walk three hours everyday just to go and leave from work. Then being in the palace's garden for at least twelve hours. On top of that, the girls wouldn't get much sleep. A 5 hour of rest would be a privilege.

Natsuki sighed. "I guess I didn't realize it."

"Is something...bothering you? You usually are more talkative"

"It's just that..." Natsuki paused as she exhaled deeply. "Never mind."

Of course Mai wouldn't stop just like that.

"You can tell me. If not me, then who?" The feisty gardener tried to make the girl talk. After all, she was worried about Natsuki dearly.

"Nothing important, really."

"Really?! You don't convince me!"

Natsuki sighed in defeat. She knew that her friend would keep on asking her until Natsuki talked.

"If I tell you, promise me you won't laugh"

"I promise" Mai pushed her fist on Natsuki's hand, as a sign of a deal.

"It's just that...I keep on thinking about this new girl"

"The one that arrived today?"

"Yes" Natsuki felt her cheeks getting a little warmer. "She just seems familiar...and I keep on trying to remember from where have I seen her before"

"Oh." Mai just said. It sure seemed unsual for her friend to occupy her mind about a woman from the King's harem. After all, the bluenette didn't even want to look at them.

The forest they were walking through was on a cliff. As they finally got out, the view of their little village was in front of them. The village of Fukia that belonged to the Kingdom of Windbloom, being ruled by King Eliot at his twenty six years.

Natsuki gasped. They were soon going to be home and she would finally rest. They tightened the bags on their body as they were getting ready to descend that craggy hill.

"My advice would be...stop thinking about it already." Mai said while they were slightly struggling on the cliff.

"I will keep that on mind." Natsuki just exclaimed, sounding a little annoyed by the time her friend choose to keep on talking. "Now keep on holding my rope"

The cliff wasn't completely vertical, but making a mistake and someone could easily slip and get at the bottom plummeting. They would always tie a rope to each other, so if anyone would slip the other was going to pull and stop the fall.

Mai sighed. She was too tired as well, and she agreed on getting home as soon as possible.

"Alright, alright, let's keep on mov-" before she managed to finish the sentence, Mai felt a strong pull on the rope. "What is going on-"

"-Just help me reach that small bush there." Natsuki asked, pointing at the left side, to a pile of leaves and bushes.

"What for?!" Mai flustered asked.

"I see something there...come!" Natsuki kept on heading left almost dragging her friend as well.

"Oh well..." Mai mumbled, shrugging in defeat. "Natsuki you sure can be stubborn sometimes"

The bluenette heard that but she didn't reply. After some seconds though, her eyes widened. A smile came out of her mouth and for some reason her heart skipped a beat in excitement. "Beautiful" she uttered as her hands took the shiny object out of the bushes.

It was a mesmerizing ruby colored necklace. Its shape resembled a sea shell or a half cycle. Natsuki was certain that all of the sea cells had a name, but unless something was a herb or a plant that belonged to the land, she had no idea on the names of the plants and shells from the sea.

"Nice." Mai said while they both kept on looking at the necklace. The shape and the details were perfectly sculptured. Whoever made it had spent a lot of dedication and hours of working on it.

Natsuki wiped the dust off and put the necklace inside her pocket. "Let's go."

"Um..are you keeping it?"

"I found it, so why wouldn't I?" the emerald eyed gardener genuinely asked.

"This seems rare. I'm sure it's expensive...or even worse, it may belong to someone from the royal family!" the gardener exclaimed on fear. She was rightfully worried though. If that ruby belonged to anyone from royal blood and they found out, Natsuki was definitely going to be treated with the usual punishment the King had established about thieves. Looking at it, the chances that it belonged to a noble person were high already.

"Don't worry, I know. I will keep it well hidden from that idio- I mean Eliot." Natsuki winked.

Mai almost jumped from shock by that last sentence her friend was going to say. She quickly put her hands on the bluenette's mouth to prevent any other insults from coming out.

"Shhh! If anyone hears you cursing the King...you will be decapitated!"

"Calm down! We're in the middle of a road noone takes because noone can walk through it and it's too dangerous! Not to mention the time we're here." Natsuki defended herself. "Everyone sleeps like a dead person right now!"

Mai's breathing slowly got steady again. Even if there were still chances of getting caught, that time Natsuki was right. Noone could hear them in the middle on nowhere. But having witnessed the royal family's cruelty on the people, she would always carry that fear inside her no matter what.

"Let's keep on going then." Mai told to her friend, receiving a nod.

After twenty minutes, they were finally inside their village, Fukia.

"Good night" Natsuki greeted. "See you in..." she looked up the sky to calculate the hours that they were going to meet again in the morning " in five hours."

"Night Natsuki" Mai greeted as she got inside her small house.

After a while, the navy haired girl was in front of her bed. She looked in the bed next to hers where her sister was sleeping and she smiled. Everything seemed alright...

As soon as she laid on that mattress made of chaff, she was already asleep...

'_Natsuki was walking towards the mass of people that were gathered in the village's center..._

_She needs my help! the girl thought. I can't let go away! Getting there, her eyes widened and tears started falling down her red cheeks._

_A chubby man who was up on a pedestal was speaking. "As the King's first and favorite wife, the rules are clear." The man loudly preached, as the people were all listening to him . "Our beloved Emperor, his Highness, is leaving this Land to go to his new Kingdom, far away from here." he informed the people and then he looked at the woman._

_She was on a brown horse, surrounded by the King's guards. Her expression was blank as if her mind and soul were already not in that place, far away. _

_"You shall follow him on the rest of his journey." he concluded as the people started cheering._

_Natsuki was standing there completely frozen. Her body felt worthless, and no matter how much she wanted to scream, to push all of the cheering crowd away and stop that horse from leaving with the brunette girl on it._

_"Goodbye my Queen." the man finally said and his hand finally signaled the guards to depart with the beautiful brunette as well._

_Natsuki's eyes were running like a waterfall. Before the noise of the horse leaving could be heard, crimson eyes looked back at the girl inside the gathered people. At that split second, emotion was painted on the expressionless porcelain face._

_Natsuki was trembling...what is this? She thought inside her dream._

_"My dear Natsuki..." a voice spoke inside her mind. " I will find you again. That's a promise." the melody said._

_Looking on those crimson eyes for just those seconds, Natsuki's hand reached down her pocket and gripped as tightly as she could a tiny object, a red gemstone._

_"This belong to you now" the voice said to her, while emerald were still locked with crimson. "Never let it go. Never let me go..." Those were the last words the voice said before fading away._

_Before Shizuru's figure on the horse fading away from the girl's sight. The younger girl__ couldn't manage to stand still for any longer._

_She started running away from the crowd while pushing all of the people aside. __She kept on running and running while pure water from her eyes was competing her in speed._

_She ran for so long, it was certain that she wasn't near her village at all._

_When she finally got exhausted, she kneeled down and screamed...'_

"NO!" Natsuki woke up startled from her dream.

"Natsuki?" Alyssa kept on pushing her sister to wake up.

"No..." she said again while a tear came out of her eye. She was slowly waking up.

"Natsuki..." the blond girl repeated. "Are you alright?!" her worried tone asked.

The bluenette rubbed her eyes slowly and then put her hand on her forehead. "It's nothing Alyssa" she smiled to her younger sister.

When their mom died, Natsuki used to get those kind of dreams at night. Her sister would always wake her up, so the nightmare would stop. The feelings of loosing her mother and the stress of having to take care of her sister were enough for a seventeen year old at that time to make her feel like giving up. But with the time, Natsuki became a stronger person and managed to get a job.

"Did you have one of those dreams again?" the blond girl asked.

"No. It wasn't that. Don't worry" she tried to soothe her sister.

Alyssa still seemed worried, but she choose to end the conversation there. She knew that if Natsuki wanted to tell her she would. Pushing her wouldn't have any benefits.

Emerald eyes looked outside their window. The sky's color was attesting that it was time for her to get ready.

She got up and headed to a barrel with stored water. She took her small towel and wet it. After squeezing it to get all of the excess water out, she carefully washed her face. When the first part of her daily routine was over, Natsuki took a small cup and added salt inside. Then, she added two other different herbs, and lastly, water. She had discovered that this mixture was perfect for tooth hygiene. Who knows, maybe she could sell her recipe someday, she thought. After wearing her work clothes she was ready for another day.

The girl waved at her sister and got outside. After some minutes she was in front of Mai's house, and her friend was waiting for her outside, as usual. It was still dawn and pretty dark, but they would be in the Palace when the sun would be fully up in the sky.

"Morning there!" Mai cheerfully greeted, skipping on her position ready to already leave.

Natsuki raised her hand. "Morning"

0~0

Shizuru was up early. In fact, she didn't even manage to sleep at all. It was till fairly dark, but when the sun was up, she was supposed to be down on the main big room where the King's women would always have their breakfast. Their everyday ritual would always start like this.

After eating a healthy meal, the women should always take a bath of herbals and other oils to maintain a perfect skin. The most beautiful women around Windbloom would end up being the King's wives. Most of them considered it a bless, but there where girls that if they could, they wouldn't choose that life.

Not even one day has passed, and Shizuru already started feeling like caged bird. So, she took the opportunity to flee away from her room and take a walk inside the palace's garden.

_'What a nice flowers' _she thought as she was walking through the blue Delphiniums. Those where the first that caught her attention. She bend down and observed them closely.

_'Such a beautiful color' _ a smile managed to come out. Shizuru seemed desperate to find something pleasant at that place. She had to keep her mind busy with other things instead of her reality. No, she could never accept it, she did not belong there. She was noone's property, especially a man's whom she deeply despised.

Her hand carefully cut two flowers from the bunch as she smelled them. That made her exhale in relief. The garden was really a majestic place, and it emitted a very different aura than from the rest of the palace.

"Well well...if it isn't Eliot's new toy." a chilling voice suddenly called at her. The tone was revealing envy and Shizuru's gut twisted. She immediately got up and looked at the woman. She knew about King's jealous wives and she had to act very smart carefully.

"Good morning to you too." Shizuru just said. She wanted to be really sarcastic with Rei, but of course she hid it well behind her words.

Rei's temper started rising. "How dare you mock me?! I'm King's wife!" she yelled

"We all are." Shizuru calmly tossed, something that didn't help the blonde's anger at all.

"You're just a cheap girl, he's never going to pick you!"

Shizuru sighed. Like she cared if Eliot wouldn't pick her. "I was never going to believe that. The competition here is tough, and I don't think I can compare with the rest."

"It seems that you know where you belong." the blonde smirked satisfied "But still, I can't take any chances" the woman finally said as she suddenly got out a small knife.

Shizuru's crimsons widened. Her palms started sweating and she knew that Rei wasn't joking.

The blonde made a sharp turn and she aimed for Shizuru's chest. As quickly as she could, Shizuru managed to avoid the exact spot, but the knife cut her left arm deeply.

Shizuru let out a sharp scream of pain and got dizzy. She kneeled down and pressed the injured spot, trying to reduce the pain as much as she could. But the wound was pretty bad and she couldn't focus so much on the woman who was approaching her.

Rei put her finger on Shizuru's chin and she raised it up, looking inside the brunette's eyes. An angry smile escaped her lips when she examined Shizuru's face closer. "It seems that you can be a competition after all. How about scarring that pretty face of yours?" the blonde finally concluded, while her knife was tracing invisible cycles around the brunette's face.

Shizuru squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could. She seemed helpless, and after Rei was confident about the girl being weaker, she was ready to go for it. Shizuru suddenly moved to the left, grabbing that knife away. She hit the blonde in the back with her elbow-a move that made Rei to fall down in the ground.

Shizuru kept on looking at the woman, and an unexplainable smirk showed on her face. The girl didn't know what was that all about but soon she would find out. Two other hands caught her off guard when they wrapped around her tightly.

"What-" the crimson eyed girl tried to protest but she was silenced.

"You thought that I was here alone?" Rei got up from the ground with a vain smile.

"You were wrong." voice behind her completed. Shizuru suddenly hit the other woman on the stomach as she managed to get away from her grip.

In front of her, Rei's partner was revealed. She was a tall woman with jet black tresses and intimidating brown eyes.

"You can call me Elina." the woman mocked, holding the eye contact with those crimson eyes.

"Are you just going to kill me? what will happen if the King finds out when I'm gone?"

"Don't worry about it, a lot of girls have gone missing and noone has laid a hand on us." Rei informed, signaling something to Elina.

There it goes again, Shizuru's heart started racing so fast. But she wasn't going to fall without a fight.

Soon though the other two women managed to encircle her and held her down on the ground. Her eyes looked at the flowers beside her. The sound of the women sharping their knifes as well as their giggles were indicating of what was to come. _So this is going to be what I see last,_ she thought to herself while looking at the blue Delphiniums._  
><em>

"Let's get over with her, the sun is almost up." Elina plainly requested. She was about to kill someone, yet her tone was as normal as talking about the weather.

"This is it, say bye to your stupid friends" Rei said as she held her down.

Shizuru saw the flowers moving on an unusual way that it couldn't be just the wind. The sound was getting louder and louder.

"Kuso!" Elina suddenly said as she got up, letting Shizuru free. "She coming, let's go!" the woman added to Rei. The blonde watched to her left and immediately got up. The sound of the flowers was getting even louder by then, and it was obvious that someone has spotter them.

"Come here...you...!" a husky voice yelled, but they had managed to go.

Shizuru managed to get up, and when she turned, the figure of a slightly shorter girl was being revealed. She could only see the back of her savior as the girl was waving her fist on rage at the two women. The girl seemed beautiful from behind, but when she turned around to look at Shizuru... her face was mesmerizing.

The gardener that Shizuru had spotted while entering the palace. The same person that took care of her room last night. As emeralds locked with the crimsons, their anger vanished. Shizuru's fear went away.

"You..." Shizuru uttered dazed.

"A-Are you ok?" Natsuki asked flustered. "Those pricks...!" she looked back on rage as she clenched her fist again. "You miss are lucky. If I haven't got here they would..." she paused finding it difficult to finish the sentence.

"They've done this to other girls too?" Shizuru asked worried as she folded her arms around her waist.

"Unfortunately yes." the gardener responded, but then she noticed Shizuru's still bleeding scar. "Your arm..."

Shizuru looked back at the wound and she exhaled in pain.

"Let me see this"

Before Shizuru managed to say something along the lines of 'it's alright' or 'don't worry I feel fine', Natsuki had already gently touched the injured arm and was examining it.

Shizuru felt flustered as she didn't want the girl how bad the cut really was.

"It's quite deep...it must hurt a lot" she concluded after a moment of examining it. "Don't worry, I've been taught about that stuff." Natsuki reassured as she kept on looking at the injured arm.

'_Damn concentrate Natsuki!' _she was mentally scolding herself, as for some reason she found it hard to not get distracted by the rising temperature of her cheeks.

"W-We need to stop the bleeding."

"Right" Shizuru agreed. Despite the severe cut, when Natsuki touched her arm most of the pain was soothed away. Maybe Natsuki was a natural born healer, as people used to believe at that time.

"Come with me." the gardener asked and soon they were both walking through the Palace's enormous garden.

Shizuru was stunned. "This place...is so beautiful."

Natsuki smiled. "It is. In fact, I think it's the only place on that palace that is right." she impulsively blurred out. Right away, she realized what that meant though. "I-I'm sorry!" the girl immediately bowed in front of Shizuru. "I didn't mean to insult the King or anyone from the Palace. P-Please forgive me."

Shizuru felt really bad about it. "Please, stand up. I don't mind...at all."

"A-Alright" the gardener felt a little less tensed by Shizuru's unexpected reaction. "So..." Natsuki tried to change the subject and talk about the plant she was going to put on the girl's wound.

"How should I put this..." the brunette sighed as they kept on walking. "I feel the same as you."

"Oh" the bluenette managed to mumble. Deep inside her though, she felt a little weight being lifted away. Maybe that girl,indeed, wasn't the same as the rest of the women from the harem. Of course Natsuki wouldn't choose to follow a mere instinct. During her twenty three years, she had learned that you may act only based on your logic and wits if you want to survive on that cruelty of world.

"Here it is" Natsuki said after some minutes of browsing the nature. In front of them there were some medium height plants in the usual plain dark green color. "This here is called comfrey." Natsuki informed. "It is the best when it comes to healing a wound fast. But first we need to make sure that your wound is not infected."

Shizuru was looking the girl right in her eyes, feeling impressed about the gardener's knowledge. "It doesn't seem infected though"

When Natsuki looked at the crimson eyes, she felt like her cheeks were getting warm again. '_Damn, what's wrong with my face today?!' _

_"_Yes it's probably not infected, that's why I'm able to use comfrey on your arm. This plant makes the wound to close really fast, and if there is an infection on your skin...well, it's going to stay inside too."

"I guess that would be a problem" Shizuru felt that something like that wouldn't happen though. Natsuki seemed to know a lot about that stuff. She was the Palace's gardener after all, she must have been one of the best to get the job.

"I'll make sure to sterile the wound anyway." Natsuki took a piece of lavender from her pocket. "If there is any infection the oil of this plant will prevent it. We just need to mix it with water though."

"This is one of my favorite flowers...do you just carry them like that in your pockets?" Shizuru smiled as her tone sounded like a subtle tease even if she didn't meant to.

"Y-Yes...I mean they're rare inside this vast garden and when I see them I always cut a bunch of them." Natsuki said, as for some reason she couldn't manage to keep the eye contact with Shizuru. Instead, she kept on looking at the ground.

"Can I have a flower too?"

"S-Sure." Natsuki handled two flowers out of the lavender bouquet she had.

As she was handing them to the brunette, Shizuru touched her hand before her hand laying on the flowers. '_Her skin is soft...'_ she thought while looking at the flowers she had just received. Despite being the gardener, the girl's hands were really soft and smooth.

Natsuki got a little more flustered by the brief contact, but not uncomfortable. The touch felt familiar, like it wasn't coming from a stranger. Being surrounded by all of those plants, her imagination must have been playing games with her mind, of course.

"There's a small pond with clean water here, let's go." Natsuki said, heading them deeper from the path. Shizuru just nodded and subtly smiled, while the bluenette was showing the direction.

Shizuru's eyes lightened up as she felt peace inside her heart. That place, the colors, the smells...were just so serene.

They both sat near the pond as Natsuki wet the lavender flowers in the water. She then squeezed them and they started dripping their oils.

"Here...let me." the gardener took Shizuru's injured arm and started dripping the lavender oils on the wound. She felt her stomach aching for no apparent reason. "There..." Natsuki rubbed gently the injury so it would spread around the hurt area.

'_Her hair...that color...have I seen her before?' _the girl was wondering as she was close to the brunette.

"Thank you." Shizuru said after some seconds. "Are you ok though?" the crimson eyes wondered when she looked at Natsuki's face again.

"Yes! W-Why?"

"Because your face is red..."

Natsuki got flustered. So when she felt her cheeks warm, that meant her face was becoming red? Heck no!

"It's just that it's hot in here."

"I feel normal though...maybe you feel the heat more than the average person." Shizuru contemplated. She said so, to make the girl relax again, but she wasn't even sure about that herself. Could the gardener feel embarrassed for something? No..it must have been just her imagination, Shizuru concluded.

"I guess so..." the bluenette scratched her head. "Now I will put this comfrey leaf and you're done."

"Thank you." Shizuru sighed in relief. "Not just for that...you know. About earlier..."

"No need to thank me about that." Natsuki stated on a serious tone. "You have to be really careful from now on...especially about those two. They're the worst."

Shizuru nodded. "Still, thank you" Shizuru leaned and kissed Natsuki in the cheek.

There it was the red color again. "Wh-why?"

"Hm?" Shizuru slightly leaned her head on the right, as a sign of not understanding why Natsuki got upset again.

"Why did you kiss me?" Natsuki managed to ask.

"Oh that? It's a sign of gratitude in my village."

The bluenette shrugged. They weren't from the same place after all. But why did the brunette seem familiar?

Despite the earlier event, they both seemed to have forgotten about it. Someone could say that it was even fun, that little tour on the vast garden and learning about the flowers.

Which wasn't a good thing because the sun was fully up on the sky...

"Natsuki!" a girl's voice startled both of them.

"M-Mai? Why do you yell?!"

Mai looked at Shizuru and hit her head really hard with her palm.

"Don't tell me it was you! Damn!"

"What do you mean?! Just freaking tell me already!" Natsuki startled put her hands on Mai's shoulders

"The King. He noticed that his new wife was missing from the morning's table!"

Shizuru's eyes widened. She looked up in the sky...it was true, she had missed the breakfast with the rest of the harem.

"Wh-what does that mean?" the brunette very hesitantly asked.

"It means that if someone screwed up with you, they're dead!" Mai exclaimed really frustrated and upset. She turned her gaze back at her friend. "Tell me Natsuki! What have you done?!" she shook the bluenette by the shoulders. Mai was really scared that her friend was going to be in trouble...

"No-Nothing!" the bluenette exclaimed. "I swear!"

"She saved me" Shizuru added.

Mai exhaled in difficulty. "It was Rei again, wasn't it?"

"That bitch,yes!" Natsuki answered while she started trembling.

"You know you can't say that to the King. He's not going to believe you! DAMN Natsuki!"

"No, we can't let that happen!" Shizuru suddenly exclaimed. "You have to leave now! So he won't think that you are to blame about it."

"But...won't you get into trouble then?" Natsuki asked, trying to hide the fear in her eyes.

"The King doesn't treat his wives as harsh as the rest of us Natsuki! Wake up, you already knew that!" Mai hit her friend's head to shake her off.

"Kuso..." Natsuki mumbled when a sound getting closer and closer to them was heard. The bluenette was really aware to whom that noise of horse running belonged to.

Mai suddenly pushed her friend inside the thick bushes, managing just by seconds to not being spot by the King who was already there.

Looking at him, Natsuki felt anger. Her friend's hand though, was making sure that Natsuki's mouth would stay close. They both started breathing as silently as they could when the King looked at Shizuru and then scanned the area around, obviously looking for anyone beside his wife. In fact, for a moment, they completely stopped breathing when his eyes laid on the bushes they were hiding behind. He moved towards it more, and at that moment Natsuki and Mai were certain they were going to die. Mai grabbed her friend's hand tightly as he was very close to them.

He started tracing the bushes as Natsuki's life was passing by in front of her eyes.

"My King..." Shizuru stopped him as she put her hand on his own and held it. "I'm sorry, I got lost. I thought on taking a walk but this garden is vast." her tone was as seductive as ever, something that worked really fast for the womanizer King.

"Eliot." he smirked as he stroke her brown tresses. "Call me that when we're alone" he kept on smirking at those crimson eyes.

'_Alone my arse!' _Natsuki mentally replied, feeling Mai's grip getting tighter on her mouth.

Soon, she was back to frozen though, when she saw the King putting his lips violently on Shizuru's. The girl didn't move her mouth, but she kept her eyes closed pretending to enjoy it. In reality, she didn't even want to look at him though.

"Maybe we can continue what we left from yesterday tonight." he ordered still stunned by the kiss.

Shizuru forced a smile that could foul almost everyone. Her body got more relaxed when Eliot and her got up on the horse and were finally away from the bushes Natsuki and Mai were hiding.

Mai sighed in relief. "You were right Natsuki." she said to her friend who seemed to still be unable to move. "Hey...I'm talking to you!"

"R-Right. " Natsuki stated on a subtle angry tone, clenching her fists. Suddenly she got surprised when she managed to process what Mai tolde her. "W-What was right about?"

"About the new wife. I think she's different too."

Natsuki smiled. "Mai...what did he mean that they left things from last night?"

The girl shrugged. "Honestly Natsuki doesn't know about the harem's gossip?"

Natsuki shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?!" she almost yelled

"Calm down there...what's gotten into you out of the sudden? I mean, you're making their rooms half of the week and you haven't heard anything?"

"Can you just get into the point here?!" the bluenette blurred, getting even more irritated.

Mai sighed. "When the King likes someone more than the rest, he doesn't go full on them from the first night. Nao told me ages ago. I guess that's the case with his new wife too..."

"Shizuru" Natsuki informed about the name

"Shizuru-san? Yes that's probably it..."

Natsuki didn't know how to feel about it. Why did she feel relief that Shizuru didn't go through the usual from the first night? Maybe because Natsuki herself found the King sly and irking, so she wouldn't wish anyone to be with him. But still, there were a lot of women from the harem that would do anything to be on his favorite list. Like Rei, of course.

"Natsuki, let's get back to work before anyone finds out that we're here!" Mai shook her friend again.

"I'm hungry" the bluenette complained.

"I know...we just have to be patient until Nao brings us food, ne?"

Natsuki exhaled deeply, trying to forget the pain in her stomach. "Alright. Let's go to work and wait until that joker comes."

On that last sentence, Mai burst into laughter. "Better stop calling her like that, otherwise she will stop bringing you food."

To some extent it was true. Nao was the Palace's cook, but the King would occasionally use her for his own and Harem's entertainment. She would dress up in funky costumes and perform jokes in front of those people. Of course someone had to mention the extent of hate towards Eliot too.

0~0

Shizuru just walked inside her room and breathed out in agony. Was that how her life would look like from now on? Being under the King's every will. Would she be able to see her cousin again or she would stay on that place trapped forever?

She took out the lavender flowers she had managed to hide inside her pockets. The smell of them managed to sooth her thoughts away. She didn't know why, but Natsuki, as the name of that gardener was, felt familiar. Shizuru took the empty vase from the table next to her bed and put the flowers inside. Then she stood there, and was just staring at the beautiful lavenders...

She touched her wound, and let out a pained cry. The herbs that Natsuki put on the injury have helped a lot, but the cut was still fresh.

"Natsuki..." she mumbled on a smile. "Thanks"

Suddenly a blonde's voice startled Shizuru. Haruka, a woman with strong posture and loud voice was walking outside harem's rooms. It was the King's personal crier and she was caring his personal messages to the people inside the palace, like the workers and or his wives.

"Tonight is King's special Harem night. All of his wives should be ready for it by the time the sun starts to set."

The girl kept on repeating with her loud voice as she was passing by the women's rooms. Shizuru sighed. She knew very well what that meant, and she really wasn't looking for it at all.

Every once in a while during the week, Eliot would throw a party with all of his wives at once. Before that, they should all look their best, wearing the finest clothes and having being bathed with special oils that were making their skin to glow. Of course all of this for he King's amusement and ego boost. How could he conquer and rule if he wasn't being treated like a King after all?

Shizuru sat on her bed and fidgeted.

"For low long will I be able to endure this..." she mumbled as she got up and looked outside her window.

Her eyes were trying to point out the answer as she was searching for the person that saved her life.

**0-0**


	3. Chapter 3

**Behold My Kingdom**

**Ch3 **"The curse"

Murmurs and chuckles coming from outside the door were getting louder as the time was passing. Shizuru was standing in front of her wardrobe, looking at all of the dresses in front of her. When a girl would become the King's wife, she would recieve a whole new set of clothes and other garments for her stay in the palace.

"Shizuru-sama?" an anxious voice knocked the room's door. "I'm Yukino. I'm here to help you choose a dress."

"Please enter."

The short-haired girl got inside. She looked just as fickle as usual. "You don't have to be so formal to me Yukino." Shizuru said as she turned around to look at the girl.

"Th-Thank you, but those are King Eliot's orders." the girl bowed. "I-I can't possibly disobey..."

The fear that Yukino was speaking with, made Shizuru very contemplative. Was there something she could probably missing?

"Tell me, what happens if you disobey his orders?" the brunette asked on an impulse, without thinking about it too much.

Yukino shook her head as if she was trying to get the flooding thoughts away. "Y-You're his wife and your opinion of him should be the best possible." the girl paused. She wasn't sure about this, but for some reason, she felt like she could talk with Shizuru.

The girl took a breath and reluctantly continued "Women from the Harem make up a whole different community within the palace. King Eliot is always nice to them and they are very privileged. This is all I can tell you without breaking any rule..."

"I see. Thanks you" Shizuru smiled. She knew she shouldn't push the girl any more. But what Yukino had said, had startled, thinking of the possibilities of breaking the rules. Death was certain, but... could there be something worse than this?

A loud sound coming from outside made both of them to slightly jump from their positions.

"Th-This is the last call. We must hurry before we're late." Yukino panicky informed as she walked towards the wardrobe.

"O-Ok " Shizuru looked at the girl again, realizing that this was more important than she thought._  
><em>

"This is perfect." After a fast research, Yukino took a red strapless dress out. "It has to be revealing for the King."

Shizuru inhaled sharply. She knew that they had to entertain Eliot, but as the time was coming, she was started feeling more upset about it.

"I will leave now Shizuru-...san. Remember, no one is allowed to see your bare body besides the King" the girl bowed.

To that, Shizuru subtly narrowed her eyes. Her idea of Eliot being that demanding and possessive man was being confirmed by each day more. Even if he didn't show it in front of his wives. '_Of course, the world should revolve around him' _she thought. It shouldn't be a surprise to her. Just another extra difficulty for her to pretend she actually liked him.

"When Haruk- erm...the crier passes by your door again, you have to be ready." Yukino said as she walked out of the door, closing it slowly.

Shizuru sighed. Her heart started racing as the time was getting closer. The girl walked to her bed and looked at the lavender flowers on the table. She picked one out of the bunch and stared at it. '_Such a beautiful color...'_

"Tell me Lavender-san..." she mumbled, holding it in her hand "How does it feel to be confined in this room...away from your family and friends?" a bitter smile escaped her lips " Do you think they have forget about you...or do they think of you are at nights?"

Long was painted in Shizuru's eyes. "I must be really lonely...talking to a flower." her eyes sparkled a dim sorrow. "No offense Lavender-chan." she corrected "Do you think you will get to see her soon?" she asked lavender whether it wanted to see that beautiful girl who took care of it again.

Now, who wanted to meet the gardener again was another question. Of course the flower wouldn't reply back, but it was certainly a great listener and Shizuru was certain that the flower liked Natsuki.

Shizuru put it back on the vase and walked to her window. She looked down, at the palace's yard, and after a moment of scanning the area she found the figure of the gardener. Looking at her from afar, Natsuki seemed upset as she was digging the ground. But despite the bluenette's mood, the weight of Shizuru's chest became lighter. She supported her head on her elbows and took the opportunity to stare at the girl without any interruption.

Her mind was already wandering... '_She seems familiar...'_

Suddenly, Haruka's loud voice startled the moment of Shizuru's serenity. "The King is heading to the spa. All of his wives should be already down by now." the blonde was literally yelling as she kept on repeating the same sentence over and over..."The King is heading in the spa. All of his..."

Crimson eyes widened. She wasn't even wearing the dress. Shizuru quickly started undressing, while at the same time walking to the wardrobe. When she was in front of it, she grabbed that red dress and wore it in a matter of seconds.

Looking her self in the mirror, Shizuru couldn't recognise it in this. She wasn't against dressing nice, but that type of clothing didn't feel right to her. Especially having to do this for a person she didn't even like.

Natsuki's words from the day before came to her mind. 'Y_ou have to take care of yourself...Stand up in front of those women. They will do anything to become the King's wife.' _the brunette recalled. '_Be careful, Shizuru...'_ the last sentence talked to her with Natsuki's voice inside her head.

Before getting out of the room, Shizuru hid a knife she had borrowed from the lunch's table that day under her dress. Those women...Rei and Elina would be there as well. Of course they couldn't do anything to her in front of the King, but the danger was still there.

'_I will have to stand up for myself.'_ she thought. Natsuki could be a great example about this. _'Strong and kind hearted...a rare gem among the dirt...'_

Shizuru shook her head, as her focus should now be on the upcoming event. She took a deep breath trying to regain the stability of her hands. As the girl walked off the room, she locked the door and then practically started running down.

The Palace was extending in a vast area and it was surrounded by big walls for protection. It had three floors and an extra underground one.

In the top, the floor with the most astonishing view, there were the King's rooms. Twelve to be precise. He would change one whenever he felt bored. There was also a big dining room with lots of food and delicacies just for him. Not many of people were allowed on the third floor, besides his servants and knights that were protecting him. In fact, since his parents death no one was allowed to enter their bedroom besides Eliot. Trespassing would be punished with death.

In the second floor was where the women from the harem resided. A single room for just one woman, with big bathrooms and beauty products made of herbs just for them. Something Natsuki had greatly contributed in. There were also the rooms of the female guests, if it happened for Eliot to have any.

When someone entered the palace and passed the vast garden, in front of the Palace's entrance there were big imposing stairs that were leading inside the first floor. The male guests would stay on the first floor, which was thirteen feet above the ground. It was were the King's servants would eat, as well as his wives too, but in different times of the day. While the women would have their breakfast, lunch and dinner, the servants were allowed to eat there only once a day which was late at night. Of course some of them would usually pick food from what was left by the royals and wives through the day to stop their hunger, even if they weren't allowed. The kitchen was in the first floor too.

Finally, the spa was on the basement, and it composed by sub-areas. There was the main spring on the center and Eliot's special throne where he would relax by the palace's special massagers. There were two rules to enter that floor. No one was allowed unless they had permission, and no woman could wear any clothes in there. But of course, Shizuru didn't know of that last rule yet...

0~0

"Hey!" the girl screamed for the third time. "Keep it down...you're going to ruin them!"

Natsuki had already dug a bigger hole than she should for the small trees they had to plant. "Huh?" she looked back at Mai with an inquiring look.

Her friend took the shovel away from her hands. "It's already too deep, move on to the next." she said as she poked Natsuki's forehead with her index.

The bluenette woke up from her temporary trance and shook her head. "R-right..."

"You don't have to apologise to me baka..." Mai scolded. "But, really Natsuki...what were you thinking of again?"

The bluenette shook her head "N-nothing!" and she quickly started digging on the ground. The hole was already done and she moved to the next.

"Don't lie...you seem nervous" Mai insisted

"I told you it's fine!" Natsuki's tone was getting more pissed by her friend's questions.

Mai sighed. "It started when Haruka announced the event..." the orange haired gardener mumbled silently, but Natsuki heard it.

The bluenette stopped digging and wiped her head from the work's results. Her cheeks were already red, but now the temperature was making them easier to blush. "Yeah, you found it Mai. That's what it was all about!" she mocked her friend without making eye contact. She tried to joke about it, but her eyes were betraying her.

Of course Mai could spot every small detail. "Man...don't tell me you have already started to like her?" she asked as she exhaled with a shrug. She knew that Natsuki didn't want a husband, but that was their trusted secret. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even her brother Takoumi. That act was uncalled for in that time. Natsuki could get in trouble about it in an instant. Of course she should still get married even though she didn't want to. It didn't matter...personal happiness was the last thing people of that era were looking for.

"N-No! What the heck Mai?!" Natsuki exclaimed as she lightly hit the girl on the back with her palm.

"Ok, ok..." the gardener tried to calm her friend down, before getting interrupted

"It's just...she's in danger with those women. Plus she's new and I feel she's not used to...that type of the King's entertainment."

"I see..." Mai said as she was digging the ground. "She does seem different than those greeds from the harem...and that's not good" the girl added as she stopped and held the little tree. She put it in the hole and then started purring soil on it to cover the plant.

"Noone is allowed to enter the basement until the King announce so. I repeat...Nooone is allowed..." Haruka's loud voice from inside the palace, could be heard even from the garden.

Both of the girls chuckled. "I guess she's the best for this job." Natsuki jocked as they were both kept on laughing about it. It was a good way to forget that rising feeling inside her stomach. '_She's going to be fine...' _Natsuki tried to reassure herself, as she kept on with the planting.

"One down, only about...one hundered to go." Mai laughed off as she watched the amount of trees they had to plant.

"That's just great." Natsuki mocked.

0~0

The brunette had just walked down two floors and was now on the last floor. Even though it was below the earth, there was plenty of light inside the vast hallway. There were tiles on the floor, a material only royal could have for their places, at that time.

After walking for a while, Shizuru was in front of a big door where Yukino was standing outside. When the short haired girl looked at Shizuru, she bowed.

"You may leave your sandals here." the servant requested. She was smiling but...there was something different in her eyes. It almost felt like an apology to Shizuru. '_Why does she look at me like that?' _the brunette thought.

"King Eliot is very strict about the spa's sanitary." the girl noted as she unlocked the door with her golden keys. When they entered, Shizuru looked around. That place smelled like heaven and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't spot a single trace of dirt.

"You people do a great job keeping the rooms clean" Shizuru stated.

Yukino almost blushed but then shook her head in dismiss. "N-No...not at all. That's because of the King. Those are his orders"

The brunette shrugged. "You certainly give credits to the wrong person."

"We are servants. We could never take any credit." the freckled girl said as they were kept on hall was just leading to the final section, where the spa was. It was empty and clean, but there were lots of plants and pots on its path

"We're here." Yukino informed when they stopped in front of the last door. "Now I should leave. You have to enter alone."

Shizuru's heart started aching more when she was faced with that door ad what was behind it. She inhaled, as a way to stop her hands from trembling.

"Good luck Shizuru-san." Yukino said as she walked away.

The hand of the brunette touched the door knob. When she twisted it, she was about to enter inside the King's event.

There first thing her eyes spotted was the form of His Highness taking a massage by two...naked women?

Shizuru frowned as she watched what was unfolding in front of her. She looked around and...all she could see was girls without clothes. The only male exception in there, was of course, Eliot. As she was standing near the entrance still, it didn't take much time for the King to spot her. A gleam passed quickly by his eyes. He got up, leaving the other two women behind. It was clear he was approaching Shizuru.

The brunette looked around her and soon she could see the face of two women she wished to avoid. It was Rei and Elina, who were inside the spa. The blonde was already smirking slyly at , she poked Elina, who was swimming close to her, to look at the new entrance in their spa. Shizuru felt a chill wave behind her back, as both of the women were obviously glaring at her. The blonde leaned to Elina, and without breaking the eye contact with the crimson eyes, she whispered something to her.

The heavy footsteps of the King's fit body distracted Shizuru's attention away from the women who had tried to take her life away. The brown-haired man stood in front of her and touched her chin. Shizuru's eyes widened as his bare body was dangerously close to her.

"You're late." he said, keeping his intense eye contact to her.

Shizuru struggled to keep a frown from showing in her face. That man...she already couldn't stand the zero distance between them, especially when there were no clothes to hide him at all.

"It seems that you don't know the rules very well." he talked near her face with a smile "But I can forgive you because you're new here."

_'Right, thanks... smug face' _Shizuru cursed him inside her mind. She tried to back off, but his hands encircled her waist. She felt an immediate repulse by this.

"Or maybe...you did this on purpose?" he stated, taking a step forward.

Shizuru clenched her teeth as hard as she could trying to mentally distance herself from the situation. A flashed of the kind gardener's face quickly passed by her eyes. It felt like she had sent a message to Natsuki. But, of course, this was certainly just her imagination... or wasn't it?_  
><em>

"...just so I can undress you by myself" he smirked, caressing the bare skin of the brunette's shoulders.

Shizuru turned her face away from his, and her eyes laid on the spa. Rei was still glaring at them, while Elina seemed to be gone. But that was not her main concern right now...

The grey-eyed man touched her knee as his hand started moving upwards, towards her thigh, making Shizuru's disgust bigger. He stopped, when he felt the interfere of an object under Shizuru's red dress.

"What is this?" he smiled as he took out the knife under her dress. "Oh...let me help you." Eliot smirked, and by doing a quick move, the dress fell on the floor.

Shizuru immediately put her hands around her body, trying to cover as much skin as possible. Her heart was beating...but suddenly she felt a weird rush of power overwhelming her. As Eliot grabbed those hands to remove them from his desired view, a cold chill run down his spine.

0~0

It had been a long since the two gardeners had been planting those trees.

Mai wiped the sweat away from her forehead as she stopped digging. "We can take a break now..."

Natsuki, who was especially absent-minded that day, just nodded. "Yeah...let's go to the kitchen. Nao will be there too"

After a while they had gotten inside the palace. The bluenette rubbed her neck as a way to comfort a strange feeling she was having.

"Hey there baka!" a familiar voice interrupted, as the push that came with it made Natsuki to almost fall.

"Nao you...!" Natsuki raised her fist in front of the redhead

"Oh" the girl raised her eyebrow "Anywayy..." Nao cleared her throat "I saved you the day's food. You can always thank me later."

"Thanks Nao " Mai said as she started drooling over the food that was in front of them, under the redhead's basket.

"Do-do you know when the...event will be over?" Natsuki asked, folding her arms.

"They will be late as always." Nao gave her friend a very inquiring look. "Why so?"

"None of your business" the girl looked away

"Go ahead and do whatever then!" Nao muttered in defeat. That was all Natsuki needed to know. The girl had left from the kitchen before even having a dinner.

"She has being acting like this all during the day" Mai complained to Nai as she took a small loaf out of the basket and started eating it.

Natsuki was feeling quite anxious about trespassing on the Palace's library but she couldn't do otherwise. A strong urge to look for a particular book was leading her body to that place.

There she was, in front of the Library's old wooden door. She bended over, and put two metal wires on the rusty lock. After some minutes of carefully trying to maneuver them in a certain way, it was finally a success.

The door opened and the girl walked in, holding a candle for light. The smell of that old room was overwhelming, but not unpleasant. She walked towards the old shelfs, watching every step she was taking at the same time. The floor was wooden too, and it made a certain sound every time her feet were landing on it.

After almost half an hour, she had found the aisle that may contained the book she was searching for.

"Jewellery and gemstones." she mumbled inside the chilling silence of that place, while she was still holding the valuable light from that candle in her hands.

Her slender and tired fingers started tracing the row of books, starting from left to right.

"The art of jewellery...How to craft a golden bracelet...Manipulating the gold and silver materials..." she was whispering the titles of the books in front of the dim light. "Gemstones and their history" her eyes widened as she felt like that was what she had just found what she was searching for.

The girl walked to the reading area and as she took a seat, she started browsing at the sheets of the old smelly book. Her index reacted by its own, as she stopped it in a particular sheet and she began to study. It was the chapter that descried every red gemstone and their historical backgrounds.

There was a picture of a a certain crimson gemstone that looked almost identical to what she was searching for. Nearly the same to necklace's stone she had found inside the bushes the other day.

_~"The Princess was a young woman who, despite all of the efforts, couldn't manage to fit in the village's culture. After rumors spreading about the young woman having an unacceptable, out of the norm relationship, it was getting harder to keep the residents' rage away from the her. Her family was left broken and with not much of a choice._

_The Princess was arranged to marry the son of a Kingdom far away from her own, to have children, and leave her family behind. Her parents would never be able to see their daughter again. After that decision, her father was heart broken. Trying to deal with the pain of his loss, he requested from the village's finest maker to engrave a jewellery just for the Princess. It was his will for the stone to be made from ruby, a gem that reminded him of his daughter. Its shape reminded a shell, and was inspired by the Princess's favorite place to be, the ocean near her village. __When they met for the last time, it is said that he secretly gave it her as they said their final farewell._

_Years passed, and the Princess's mother got sick. She died in a short period of time, never meeting her daughter again. Soon, the father followed too. They had take the pain of loosing their only daughter with them, for eternity. _

_There myths that the engraved stone had gathered the curse of that tragedy inside of it, turning it into nothing like a common gem."_

Natsuki took a deep breath after she finished reading that short paragraph about the necklace she had found.

"It's just a story..." she mumbled, putting the small book under her work clothes.

A sound of the old door opening startled the girl. She quickly brew off the light from the candle, and moved to near a dark corner between the old book shelfs.

Someone was inside.

0~0

Eliot froze to that spot as he looked at those crimson eyes for once again. His mouth slightly dropped open. They looked... intimidating. Blood-like red, and not just the usual shade the girl had. He instinctively backed off one step, but Shizuru followed.

"Aren't you a little greedy?" her voice tone was different from her usual melodic one. It was slighty deeper and more mature. She looked right inside his eyes, and her gaze felt like needles piercing his soul. "I don't like this...focus on the rest of your wives."

How could she question him!? The more Shizuru was resisting, the more he wanted her. His desire was now overflowing inside his body. He took a step back, showing off his obvious lust for the wife that had certainly caught his attention. Without any other warning, he pushed his nudity to Shizuru's. The girl growled and put her hands on his shoulders, creating space between them. That didn't stop him from attacking her neck, sucking it in different spots. Then, the brown haired man grabbed her chin and pushed his lips against hers.

The room was completely silent, and the rest of the girls were looking at the King and Shizuru. Rei and some of the rest were completely jealous and radiating envy by just the ways they looked at the brunette. A minority felt sympathy for Shizuru, as there were also girls who didn't like belonging in the harem.

As he kept on kissing her, Shizuru stopped resisting. Instead...she was reciprocating. '_Great' _he smirked when he finally felt that he was able to control that mesmerizing beauty.

Between his flaming passion and possessiveness, Eliot failed to notice Shizuru's completely different aura.

A moment later...he felt his breath to gradually shorten. He tried to ignore it because he didn't want to break the contact, but after a while he was unable to keep it. The young man broke the kiss and soon he noticed the eyes of the woman he was kissing. Blood-red color. Completely beautiful, but certainly draining...even scary.

Shizuru was feeling out of herself. She couldn't even recognise the words and actions she had just said and done. '_What's gotten to me...'_ she felt something unusual too. It was upsetting how her body was moving on its own.

"My King." a female voice interrupted the tense of the spa. It was the tall black haired woman who had suddenly got inside the room.

"Elina" he turned around to look at the woman.

Shizuru was still feeling different. As if she was about to do something really wrong-

"Let me go!" a familiar voice spoke.

That was what made Shizuru to regain total control again. '_Na-Natsuki...' _the light of the crimson eyes came back.

Elina bowed in front of Eliot. "I caught her trespassing inside the Palace's Library." the black haired woman smirked to herself, looking back at Rei. "This is your time Kuga." she whispered to the bluenette. "You're dead"

Emerald eyes looked at the crimsons and the bluenette let out an apologetic smile at Shizuru.

"You know the punishment for trespassing Miss...Kuga." The King walked to them. He slightly lifted his hand, signaling a girl to bring his robe. Of course a mere worker couldn't have the privilege of taking a pick at the King's fit body.

"W-Wait!" Shizuru interrupted.

Natsuki looked at the brunette and moved her head in a dismissive way, as if she was trying to tell her back off. Shizuru shouldn't get involved in this too. She could probably pay for something that wasn't even her fault.

Eliot raised a smug brow. That was actually a surprise...but not unpleasant. "Maybe I could kill her right now, in front of everybody." he lied. He didn't even bother to turn and look at Shizuru at all. Eliot was well aware of how to play that game. Despite his high sense of superiority, he was a smart man who knew how to easily spot the weaknesses of people.

Eliot took the knife that Shizuru was carrying under her dress and with it, he touched Natsuki's face.

"It seems you two know each other...Am I right?" he asked on a subtle mocking tone "What an irony that she's going to die by your knife" those words were enough to make Shizuru to freeze.

Natsuki shut her eyes tightly. The only thing she wished for at that moment was for it to be quick. In the past, she had been present in other executions. They were all really painful to watch, imagine how horrible it would be to live it. An image of her parents smiling faces flashed through her mind. '_Alyssa'_ she then thought, recalling her sister. The young girl would have to survive without her now.

Natsuki couldn't keep the tears to herself anymore.

Rei was gazing at the gardener waiting impatiently for the King's next move, but the rest of the women, except Elina, were already feeling bad for the navy haired girl.

"So..." Eliot started tracing the knife on Natsuki's face.

"L-Let her...please!" Shizuru exclaimed, breaking the dead silence inside the spa.

"Maybe there's a way to reconsider..." the King smirked to himself, still showing his back at the brunette as a way of power display to the girl who had previously denied him.

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes again. Emerald met crimson 'S_he seems sad...why? Just let it go already'_

"I will listen." Shizuru insisted, even if she didn't know what the King had on mind...

**0-0**


	4. Chapter 4

**Behold My Kingdom**

**Ch4 **"Cilia"

_'For once again, I'm walking through this alley. The path takes too long to walk through._

_ As the sound of our steps gets quieter, I have finally managed to blur it all out of my mind. _

_Even if he leads us, what I'm looking at is her. _

_My eyes burn as I feel this sense inside of me..._

_Whats is it? It feels like power...but something dangerous I'm trying to repress too._

_Is it just my imagination? _

_Ah...she looked back at me. She doesn't seem scared...she just smiled. I like her smile. My cheeks feel...warm again._

_Her eyes are beautiful...like the color of the sea near my house. The one I used to live in before I got here anyway._

_The family I lost a long ago. __My cousin..._

_Arika. __Even if I'm not with you, I still protect you everyday._

_Your dad, Uncle Kazuki, my mother's beloved brother. He was the last one of our family that had left. Before the war I had__ promised him...I would never let anyone hurt you, the last person of my blood alive._

_For this, I will fight. Even if I'm not near you anymore. __One day I may be_

_But I can't do this now. If I go, he will hurt you. You see, this is how it works here. _

_I'm sure you are well aware of this._

_ I know you always try to do your best. So__ don't worry about me. There is still some good in this place.' _

Shizuru looked at Natsuki. The girl's navy tresses were falling behind her shoulders so freely...

After passing through that long hallway under the earth, they had now arrived in the kitchen.

Mai and Nao were sitting next to each other in the dining area, both looking exhausted. The redhead had crossed her arms on the table and was already half asleep on its surface. Mai, on the other hand was fidgeting impatiently next to the cook. It had been a while since Natsuki was supposed to come back.

As her friend passed by the room, Mai fought an urge to jump from her seat and start yelling. The King was leading in front, while her partner in work was following back. Lastly, Shizuru was walking a few inches behind the bluenette, still wearing her red dress. Despite the fancy clothes, the brunette seemed as she was trapped inside her intense thoughts .

"N-Natsuki..." the gardener whispered as she watched her friend walking behind the palace's leader. No...she wasn't expecting to see her again with the King and his wife. '_I knew the library wasn't__ a good idea!' _she mentally scolded the girl.

Natsuki turned back without missing any step, and gave an apologetic look to Mai, as the three of them were now heading outside the kitchen. It had been a while since they knew each other, so Mai could easily interpret the bluenette's expression. _'I'm sorry...'_ Natsuki meant 'you_ will have to walk back alone tonight'_

"W-Wait!" the gardener's mouth slipped, loud enough to be heard inside the big kitchen. Her voice even startled Nao's dreams, making the young cook to wake up startled.

Eliot's steps slowed down, and before he made contact with the door's knob, he stopped. The man turned around to look at the girl. She looked tired and dirty from the day's work in the garden.

"Miss Tokiha" he stated, as he held eye contact with the purple eyes.

Even if Mai was aware that speaking up was a bad idea, she could bury her doubts under the determination of getting her friend out of trouble. There had been many times when Natsuki helped her, whether it would be giving her money for her sick brother without asking any of it back, or helping her out of the fights Rei was picking to get them into trouble.

"you are released for tonight." Eliot added as he opened the door.

"But..." the orange haired girl interrupted again

Shizuru took the opportunity to get closer to Natsuki. The bluenette looked back at her "You should have let this go" she managed to whisper as the man was busy talking to Mai.

"I don't have time for this Miss Tokiha. I will check my trees tomorrow." the King glared at her "You are released." he repeated, moving his finger in a dismissing way. His tone was an obvious warning to the gardener."You too" he ordered, looking at Nao.

After that, Eliot turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Mai looked desperately at Natsuki. Her eyes widened when her friend tried to communicate with her through face expressions. '_Don't worry' _it reassured Mai. The orange haired girl tilted her head in disbelief. _'I hope you know what you are doing' _she wished, as her friend walked out of the kitchen.

0~0

After a while, they had just passed the second floor but Eliot wouldn't stop there. It was crealr that he planned to get them at the top of the palace. The floor where his rooms resided.

As the brown-haired man was obviously busy thinking about something, Shizuru took the opportunity to step closer to the other girl. "He would kill you...!" she protested quietly as a response to Natsuki's earlier statement in the kitchen.

"He was bluffing" Natsuki paused. "I'm his best gardener, he needs me. He wanted to leave his...wife satisfied though. Everyone knows these two hate me."

Shizuru let out a relief sigh. Without realizing this whole time, her face was really close to the bluenette's as they were whispering. "You saved me. I couldn't let you!" she argued, still holding the eye contact while the King seemed to be busy walking in front.

"A little stubborn, aren't we?" Natsuki joked. "Now he will use me to get you...Your idea was very bad!"

"What!?" Shizuru exclaimed quietly as she grabbed Natsuki's arm. "I would save you..." she paused as she checked the man to make sure he wasn't listening "just like you did for me! A loner, aren't we?" she tossed back at the girl who previously called her stubborn.

"Stop making assumptions about people" the gardener replied as she felt the firm touch of the brunette's hand.

"You made these first" Shizuru protested, feeling flustered about the girl's behavior. The fact that they were walking with no space between them was definitely attributing to the tension.

Natsuki sighed. "I'm telling this for your shake. He wants you, not me." the grip in her hand didn't lose. Shizuru didn't want to let go.

They were already on the top floor and the two of them kept on walking close to each other, as Eliot was still leading in front. Natsuki was very observant of that place, as it was the first time she had been there. In fact, not many people were allowed on the King's rooms anyway. While she was dazed for a minute by the detailed architecture of that place, the corner of her eye caught a figure moving inside one of the rooms. She turned her head, but there was nothing in there. Only the half-open door of a dark room.

The man stopped as they got to the end of the hallway. Natsuki looked at Shizuru next to her but didn't let her hand of the brunette's.

"You're honored to be in my room for tonight." he smiled, looking at Shizuru. The King paused and looked at Natsuki "You may leave her to me now." he said as moving his finger in a cycle, signaling the gardener to retrieve. "You are released from your duties for tonight."

Shizuru didn't let go of Natsuki's hand, but instead she gripped it tighter. "Why did you bring her here?!" she asked in a tone that was not as polite as it should be for a King's wife.

"Ah...her?" Eliot asked, pointing at his gardener "I thought it would be easier to have someone keep you company until you see my room" he smiled

Shizuru didn't like that face of politeness of him. Natsuki was right...it was just a trick to lure her in. The brunette looked at the girl next to her. Natsuki seemed stiff as if she didn't want to leave.

"Did you really think I was going to kill her?" the man asked, as she approached the girl's "I think you have misunderstood me...Shizuru" he whispered near the brunette's face as he took her hand and removed it from Natsuki's. Shizuru protested at the loss of the warmth the bluenette's hand was radiating

"This is as far as you can get miss Kuga." Eliot informed, turning his gaze to Natsuki for once again. A polite reminder that she wasn't allowed to stay there for any longer. "This is private between us after all" he smirked

The girl felt a weird sensation inside her chest. As if a little needle had just pinched her. She looked at the crimson eyes that were gazing at her own, but she couldn't figure exactly what was painted in Shizuru's expression...but there was certainly a part of the brunette's that hated this situation for sure. The rest of the feelings didn't seem positive too.

Before Natsuki could turn away, Eliot placed his hand on Shizuru's, and lead her inside his room. After some seconds they were gone.

Natsuki stood there in her spot, frozen. '_What was I supposed to do?' _she put her palm on her forehead. _'She didn't want this...but...I couldn't do anything' _the girl was thinking about the situation. It was true, the King could be polite but if someone insisted on protesting him he wouldn't stay like that for ever. Shizuru knew about this too...and that was probably the reason she didn't decline at all. After all, even if Eliot didn't plan on killing his gardener on the first place, that didn't mean he would keep on with that policy for too long.

The bluennete started walking back, through this long hallway again. The moon was the only source of light for this looked outside the big royal windows. It was pitch dark and she couldn't get back at her home that time. Mai was already gone too. '_I hope Alyssa doesn't get worried'_

_'Maybe I should sleep with Nao in the kitchen'_ Natsuki decided. There was a feeling though, that wouldn't leave from her mind. Could it be...guilt?

"Agh!" she growled pissed as her walking pace was getting faster.

_'You let her go again...like you always did and will always do...' _a voice inside her mind mocked, making the girl even more angry but startled too.

Natsuki clenched her fist and decided to ignore it. The sleep deprivation was certainly taking its toll, she concluded. But the guilty feeling would still remain..._'What is this...' _she thought, putting her hand on her chest.

The bluenette was passing by near those windows in the hallway, tracing her finger on their metallic surface while some dust was getting stuck on it.

"Young lady"

Natsuki's eyes widened by the sound of a chilling voice. She immediately took a defensive position, supporting her body weight on her right leg and protesting her fists in front of her chest area. She tried to look as intimidating as possible.

0~0

The brown-haired man held the door for Shizuru to come in as the brunette walked reluctantly inside. The room was big and rows of candles were extending on its the corners, providing that place with a dim light. The first, most distinctive feature was the mesmerizing smell of roses and other types of flowers inside.

"This is my special room" he said, looking at his beautiful wife.

No matter where the King would decide to sleep, his servants would work all day to prepare every single room on the third floor. The purpose of that particular chamber they had entered was the romance.

"Everything you see here was my idea." the King smiled, checking out Shizuru's figure. That was a lie though, as he lacked any type of creativity. In fact, a certain gardener had contributed a lot on the decoration of that place. Shizuru didn't say anything, but she focused on a burning sensation her eyes were having for once again...

In the middle of the room, there was Eliot's double canopy bed. Its curtains were black and golden, and the red sheets were made of silk fabric.

"Now...there is no need to be stiff" he smiled, rubbing Shizuru's back. The brunette felt aversion on his touch and took a step away from him.

"You're still resisting..." he said while grinning. "This makes me want you more" he approached her again, but Shizuru moved deeper inside the room. "But you knew this when you came to my Palace"

"It's not like you gave me a choice" the brunette disagreed, still trying to keep their distance intact. "I know how you are resentful to the women who deny you"

On this statement the young man laughed. "And smart too..." he approached more in the corner of the room, where Shizuru had backed. "You could make a great Queen" Eliot took some steps further, getting ready to corner Shizuru.

"Good luck on finding her" Shizuru mocked

"As you could see, I didn't harm the gardener. I think you have misunderstood me...I'm not that type of person"

The brunette raised her brow. "Yeah, you like tricking people? How is that polite?" Shizuru felt her temper changing again...especially after Eliot mentioned using Natsuki for his own gain.

Ignoring her last words, he felt irresistably drawn at the girl in front of him "What a beautiful expressions you have" he said, stared at the girl's eyes. The crimsons seemed to get a deeper shade of red by time, as he was able to look at them better.

"This is how far you will go" Shizuru demanded, as there was only one table separating them.

"I may disagree" he smiled

Shizuru tried to control the aggravating sensation that was going to overwhelm her. She clenched her fists, as this was not the time to stop thinking clearly. Her attempts though would soon fail, as the King touched the skin of her shoulders that her dress didn't cover.

0~0

"Wh-Who are you?" Natsuki asked, turning her body to that voice's direction. It was probably coming from inside one of these rooms, but there were too many in the raw for her to be sure.

"No need to be afraid" a woman got outside from the half-open door.

"M-Maria-sama..." Natsuki sighed as she watched the old woman walking in front of her.

"I didn't intend to scare you. I guess you forgot that I leave on this floor" the elder woman walked near the bluenette. The light of the moon illuminated down, at the left side of her face as the green of her eye glittered.

Natsuki felt embarrassed that she was caught being so defensive by the Palace's Lead Supervisor. Maria was also the most honored woman inside the Palace. She was the midwife who helped Queen to give birth to Eliot, as well as Eliot's grandmother delivering his father, the previous King. She lived inside that Palace for over four decades and her knowledge of the royals' history was astounding. When Eliot's parents died, Maria was the only person that he considered a family. Despite being one of the most respectful people, Natsuki would sometimes prefer to avoid looking at the woman's eyes.

"I...I didn't expect you to be awake so late at the night." the bluenette slightly rubbed the back on her neck. "Anyway, I have to go to sleep now. Good night Miss Maria" Natsuki said,getting ready to head downstairs.

"I wanted to talk with you, in actuality" the woman stopped her.

Natsuki was really tired and didn't want to discuss anything at that time, especially after such a day. But truth was, she couldn't deny the woman's request.

"I have time then" the girl replied, as they both walked together down the stairs.

"Shall we go outside?" the woman asked after some minutes, as she pointed at the back exit that was leading on the Palace's yard.

"S-Sure"

The woman's posture wasn't something Natsuki would choose to encounter with at night. Maria's favorite colors to wear were apparently black, as well as any dark shades of purple, blue and green. She was elder , so that made some sense. Still, the contrast these colors were making with her green eyes was always an extra reason for Natsuki to avoid her.

"Ah...I love this." Maria stated as she gazed at the moonlight.

"You seem to walk around more at night" Natsuki reluctantly commented.

The woman looked at her and smiled. "That is true" she paused, as her expression changed "Tell me, Kuga-san. What were you doing at the King's floor?" she blatantly asked

Natsuki gulped. "It was just that...the King requested me to." she said, as she felt the night's breeze cooling her body down.

"And why would he? You know how most people are not allowed to step there"

"I...I guess he wanted to take Shizuru, eh Fujino-san on his room."

"Why? Wouldn't she come?" the old lady insisted

Natsuki was in a difficult position. She didn't want to say how Shizuru didn't like the King. On top of that, she didn't personally agree with Eliot's methods of entertaining himself.

"I don't know...I wasn't there. Maybe he wanted to continue in his room" she stated looking at the mountains in front of them. She didn't keep eye contact with the woman, but Natsuki would still feel the green glare on her.

"You know..." the woman started "he rarely has any visitors inside his personal space."

"I am aware of this. But I'm afraid this is all I can help." the girl said. She was getting ready to leave, but a grip stopped her. Natsuki sighed.

"Is there something you forget to mention?"

"No. That's all I know." Natsuki denied as that discussion was starting to make her upset._ 'Just let me go already!'  
><em>

Maria smirked. "Tell my, young lady. What did you looking for in the Library?"

Natsuki's eyes widened. "The King has already taken care of this. " she stated, removing her hand from the woman's grip. "But how did you know about it?" the girl asked on an impulse, almost regretting it after a while.

Miss Maria's brows stiffened and she took a step closer to the gardener. "A book is missing." she informed. "and you are not allowed any access on them" her tone as stern as ever.

Natsuki felt like she was slightly trembling, but soon she cleared her throat. "Here it is." she took the book out of her gardener's bag and handed to the elder woman. "As for my punishment, like I said, the King has taken care of it." she stated again firmly.

The grey-haired woman narrowed her eyes, as she looked at which book Natsuki was reading.

"I didn't intend to keep it with me." the girl defended herself

The woman ignored her, as her focus was more on that book. "Next time, your punishment won't be conciliatory." she said, almost threatening the girl. "You are lucky that this happened during the King's weakness. Which leads me to my final point..."

Natsuki thought about Shizuru again. What was going on now up there, in the top floor. The guilt striked her for once again...

"A wife should not resist her master, the King. Fujino-san should be tied with him, just like the rest of the women here"

'_Wait, what?' _Natsuki mentally exclaimed '_Master? Tied with?!' _

"Women here have not picked up just by accident. They are special and beautiful. Also they all belong to the King." she stated, talking close to Natsuki. "Up until tonight Eliot had never got any woman in his room. You young lady must not interfere."

Natsuki was now really doubt founded. What was that old woman talking about? It wasn't that she got involved in anything. It was Eliot who dragged her on his floor to trick Shizuru. 'R_ight...one can start saying nonsense to defend their King's behavior.' _she thought, raising a brow.

That was a wrong move on her behalf, as Maria was able to see past Natsuki's hidden expression.

"Do not mock me" the woman warned. Her eyes shined and Natsuki felt like she was getting dizzy. "I'm saying this for the first and last time. Keep focusing on your work and not get involved with King or Fujino-san."

Natsuki sighed...a false accusation just again. But why did that old woman cared about the King and Shizuru's relationship so much?

"Look, I don't..." the bluenette started defending herself, but soon she was interrupted

"Natsuki" someone called the girl's name, and Miss Maria returned back to her usual composure.

Nao ran to the gardener, ignoring the old woman's presence. "You are alright!" she exclaimed in relief

"I'm fine." the bluenette gave a tired smile.

"I heard some noises from outside and when I checked, it was you."

"I was just talking with..." Natsuki tried to say, but looking around Miss Maria was already gone.

"Yeah...that weird hag. She fled away again when I showed up now." the redhead said, as she pulled Natsuki from the hand "Come, you're sleeping with us in the kitchen tonight"

"A-Alright." the girl agreed. Before being dragged inside the house, she looked back on the Palace's top floor. '_Shizuru...'_

0~0

Inside the royal bedroom, the light of the candles was dying out. Eliot stopped, as he felt something off inside that place. He looked behind him, but apparently they were still alone.

He tried to keep on, as he passed the table that stood as a barrier between him and Shizuru. He finally put his hands on the girl again...

"You are not allowed to do this" a chilling voice smirked. The girl's tone sounded different...as if she was a completely different person. Nothing like the brunette's usual sweet voice.

Shizuru grabbed Eliot's collar. The man got surprised and scared by the strong grip on his robe. He smiled, trying to regain his power but to no avail...Shizuru's gaze was deep and unmovable.

"Tell me where Cilia is..." she requested to know, looking sternly at the King's grey eyes.

"W-Who?" Eliot mumbled, looking around him. He tried to take a step back, while the fire of the candles was dying out.

**0-0**

A/N:

Just to clear some things up. This is fantasy and it's going to be revealed more in next chaspters, as those are only the first chapters of the story. Later on, it will get more complicated. All of the details can not be revealed at once! :P


	5. Chapter 5

**Behold My Kingdom**

**Ch5**

It was the time when everything was on the most quiet and serene state. The part of the night when people were already wandering inside the world of their dreams -a place they would certainly forget about in the morning. Only a few nocturnal beings like owls would stay up at that time.

A girl was the exception. Her steps were silent but not fragile.

It wasn't long since Shizuru walked out of the door and that futile romantic-decorated room. The way of her walking away from the King, had triggered the full attention of a pair of green eyes. Little did she know that the old woman's stare from inside the room, was following her all the way until she was gone from the palace's third floor. It wasn't a long since the dawn was near, and Miss Maria would decide to visit the King's room.

She knocked the door twice. After not receiving an answer, that meant she had the permission to enter. Eliot would only bother to talk if he was going to dismiss someone. He would lock the door if he was sleeping too, so no one could come in. But the room was open, and so the elder woman stepped inside. The first thing she did was scanning the room. The royal bed was perfectly made and, apparently, was not used. The aromatic candles inside were almost ran out and the fire in some of them was making a dying squeaking noise.

"The bottle is on the table near my bed" Eliot spoke from inside the room's bathroom. "The green one...it is." he added on a drunk tone.

Miss Maria looked at the half empty bottle. She took the bottle and sighed. _'He has drank too much'_

"Pour some" he requested from the woman slightly rising his empty crystal glass in the air, as the woman entered "please" he added tiredly

The old woman looked down at the foamed covered King who seemed sunk inside the tub. She subtly frowned at the sight, pretty much knowing what had happened.

"No more wine for today" she denied, talking to the man's back. "It's already getting morning"

"I don't care" he smiled as he turned his head to meet the old woman's gaze. "Wine is good for stomach cramps"

"Keeping your emotional needs in control. This is the best recipe" she replied unmoved "Remember who is in charge here. Who rules the entire colony and not only this in the upcoming future. A woman should be too weak to make you feel disappointment"

Hearing the last sentence, Eliot laughed. "I like to drink, what can I say?" he replied on an almost mocking tone as an excuse, leaving the woman unconvinced.

She put the bottle inside the sink and moved to the bathroom's windows, pulling the curtains away. It was already dawn.

"Your cousin's negotiator will be here this morning." the woman reminded "Drink more and you will not be in the mindset you should be in, regarding important meetings like this" she paused, looking from the window down at the Palace's gardens. "I will take care of the rest"

Eliot frowned in dissatisfaction. He was in no mood to meet the negotiator, especially that day. Their conversations were the same every time anyway. The negotiator would ask the King if he was willing to give up a part of his colony to maintain peace. Eliot would refuse, and a new threat of invading inside his area was starting. Eliot's cousin wouldn't act on that thread, but if they didn't find a solution it wouldn't take long to happen. The King didn't like giving up any of his possession, be it land wealth, or even humans. Miss Maria was always the person that helped him, regarding those matters. If it wasn't for her, Eliot would have probably attempted to kill his cousin and getting over with it for good. But this wouldn't be a wise move at all. Villagers couldn't know that the King has killed his own blood.

The brown-haired man sighed. "So be it. Let's wait for him." he said to the elder woman who was still looking outside the window. "I will dismiss the negotiator again...and probably give him one of his usual treats." he added. Eliot's usual gift, was of course something not good, but a package of strong kicks and punches from his guards to his cousin's negotiator.

"You should consider the same tactic to everyone that doubts you." the woman hinted.

"Pretty things are not meant to be broken, Maria-sama."

"They are not meant to defy you too. Realize this, before your weakness turns bigger."

The green-eyed woman finally turned away from the window, and grabbed the bottle from inside the sink. "No more wasting" she mumbled _'And no time for love' _she thought to herself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~'<strong> "I'm here for the necklace." a young woman declared as she walked inside a small, musty-smelling shop._

_After some minutes, an old woman of a short height walked out of the door. Her hunched figure seemed fragile, and her arms were skinny. Despite her pale skin, her eyes were vividly alive. Sometimes, _people used to say she was the oldest person in their village.__

__The elder woman smiled dismissively at the young one, moving her index finger on the air. "Uh-uh" __

__The chestnut-haired girl pressed her fingers on the shop's wooden desk, almost digging the nails on its surface. "I have the gold, so no more fooling around!" she exclaimed.__

__The usual calm and composed princess was on the verge of loosing her temper. "You have no idea what I've been through this month!" she informed "So stop this game already, and give me the necklace!"__

__Despite facing a person almost double her strength and quite taller, the old woman was calm...and maybe even satisfied. ____"Very well. " she crossed put both of her hands on the table "Give me your hand" she requested, as she took a sharp object out of the drawer.__

__As the girl reluctantly extended her hand, the old lady took the sharp piece of glass. Pressing it against the finger, she cut the girl's skin. Drops of blood fell on the necklace's crystal, and beside their own eyes, the transparent gem turned into a ruby one.__

__"I see. You were serious about this after all." she stated, looking at how the the crystal had changed into a deep shade of red. "It is red, almost crimson. You know how the crystals color can be different from depending on the person's feelings. But this color, reveals love and passion." the woman paused "It is true after all...the reason you have to go" she smirked.__

__The girl grabbed the woman's collar and stared inside those eyes. They were full of energy, despite belonging to an old person. "It is none of your problem" she said, in an almost threatening tone.__

__"It is not my problem, you're right. But I've told you about the consequences of choosing this path. Are you willing to sacrifice so much, just to protect her?"__

__The chestnut haired girl took her hand away from the woman's grey blouse. "Now that I will leave..." she paused and tighten her fist "They know. T-They will...they will come after her in the instant my horse leaves this village. I have no other choice...and for this, I can handle everything else." her tone almost breaking.__

__The young woman emptied the gold from the pouch she was holding. She took the necklace, walking away.__

__"Was your father aware of the crystal's ability?" the elder woman asked, when the girl was almost outside the door.__

__She stopped, as her hand was already on the door's handle. "He does not know. I was lucky he choose this crystal as my gift" she informed "So don't worry, no one else will steal this secret away" her tone was bitter with a hint of mockery. After this, the young girl opened the door and was already gone. __

__'She has to get this' the young woman thought, as she was nervously walking. She had covered her face with her cloak's hood- a clothe that only poor people used to wear, and something that was a mismatch to her royalty. But what could she do? If someone saw her, she would certainly be in trouble.__

__"Hey! Watch it!" A tall man exclaimed, when the girl accidentally hit him with her shoulder. Her heart raced, but she kept on moving...that was close. Her face should not be revealed. Luckily, the man didn't pay much attention to the hurrying girl.__

__After some brisk walking, she was finally inside a small house, almost outside the village. Without knocking the door, she walked in.__

__In front of her eyes, the reason she was hated by the villagers was sleeping. Even if their relationship was what had got her into her life's biggest mess, the sleeping girl would always manage to make her smile.__

__Hearing the door's creaking, the other girl stood up startled.__

__"Don't worry..." the chestnut-haired girl soothed, as she seat on the bed next to her.__

__"Y-You shouldn't be here!" the girl exclaimed, clenching her fist on the bed as she resisted on touching her.__

__"It's alright..." the Princess approached her more "Only one last time" she requested while her voice broke, revealing the sad emotions she was harboring.__

__The other girl caressed the pale skin of the chicks, and she removed the cloak. ____Her eyes lightened, as she looked at the deep purple blouse the Princess was wearing "You know...I love this" she smiled, trying to forget that they will be apart very soon. __

__"Let's not waste any time. Ne?" the chestnut-haired woman mounted her, already feeling the usual pleasure that she would always get by doing so. __

__The girl had already undressed the woman on top, as her hands and mouth were all over the woman's chest. It was only half the way, but the Princess was feeling more than good. "Please...more" she requested in a weak smile as she stood up again. "More" she repeated, watching her complying lover getting fully undressed as well.__

__"I can't deny you...You already know this" the girl's deep voice said as she starting kissing the bare skin of the woman's thighs, gently pushing her on the bed. __

__The Princess' body shivered when she felt the girl's mouth on her. This was what she was craving...No matter what was going to happen, she wanted to be with her for once again.__

__Suddenly, everything turned blurry inside the woman's mind__

__What happened after this was skipped...and inside her mind, the last image she would see, was giving the necklace to that girl the next day. The day when she would leave that village behind her forever. When she would get married and never see her love and her family again. __

__'N-No...I don't want to lose you..." The Princess looked at the girl's intense gaze, as she was departing further away on her horse ____**' ~**__

* * *

><p>"N-No" Shizuru mumbled as she was sleeping. "Cilia" she suddenly turned sides on the bed, waking up.<p>

The brunette opened her eyes slowly, only to see that the sun was just starting to rise and it hadn't been long since last night's events. But that was not the only reason she felt upset. The dream she had just seen was so...vivid. It was different that what she usually felt during her sleep.

Shizuru sighed. Living inside the Palace and under Eliot's commands was slowly taking its toll. She stood up and blankly stared at her room's window, trying to recall any detail from what had happened last night. After she was alone with him inside the room, everything was blurry and she didn't remember a lot of details. She only knew that she felt different than usual. Not just her body, but her mindset too. Then, there was this girl in her dream. Shizuru could only remember how hurt she felt when she departed away from her, or how that girl could make her so happy too.

"Cilia" she repeated as she touched her lips. The girl's face was blurry too, but the sense of their lips touching had clearly stayed in her mind. The night's frustrating feeling had still remained. Seating still on her silky mattress, she took a breath.

"Fresh air would be good." she concluded after some minutes of frustration, and stood up. When Shizuru's mind became more clear, she realised that she was still wearing her red dress. The woman frowned and proceeded on taking it off and wear her every day clothes. She had still kept her old ones from home, despite having brand new inside the room's wardrobe. Shizuru picked them up and when she was done wearing them, she walked outside.

As she was heading down the stairs, near the Palace's kitchen, Shizuru wondered where another girl could be.

'Did she leave, or stayed here for the night...' she contemplated. _'I can search for her' _she concluded. After all...Natsuki had helped her through that time with Rei, or even Eliot. She was a kind person, Shizuru could feel it. _'Not to mention pretty too...Ahem' _Shizuru shook the last thought away from her mind quickly, as she finally walked inside the kitchen.

The big square table where the women from the harem ate every day was glittering clean, and the spacious room empty. Shizuru walked more, towards the area where the staff was cooking the meals. Approaching more, and she was finally able to see...something not that pleasant.

The workers, including Palace's lead cook Nao, were laying down on the uncomfortable floor sleeping. They were on top of an old blanket which apparently was used for bed, and another one covering their bodies for warmth. Shizuru grimaced, feeling the same emotions like back there, when she was watching the people from her village with no shelter or food. The greed of the few was leading people's suffering.

Deciding to let them sleep, the brunette didn't ask anyone about Natsuki. Apparently the bluenette wasn't sleeping with them.

"An early waker...aren't you?" a venomous voice asked, startling Shizuru.

"This is none of your concern." the brunette cut, walking away from the woman.

"What happened last night with the King?" Rei asked, not being able to hide her jealousy very well. "I know he took you on his room"

Shizuru kept on walking, but Rei insisted on following her. Looking around, there was no one near. Suddenly, a fabric tissue covered her nose and mouth. The brunette felt dizzy very quickly and stumbled, but managed to hit the woman's stomach behind her with her elbow. Being hit, Rei let out a choking sound.

Shizuru took a deep loud breath. "Chloroform" she struggled to say between coughs.

"You just won't get out of my way." the blonde smirked as she replied more liquid on the cloth. "Stop thinking you're special just because Eliot took you inside his room."

The brunette side-smiled. "Do you really think I care about these?" she looked at the blonde "You can have him as much as you want"

"Stop mocking me!" Rei burst on rage. "Playing hard to get...so he will be more interested!"

"You are wrong" the woman mumbled, holding her stomach as she was still finding it difficult to breathe.

"We'll see who's wrong" the blonde said, getting close to Shizuru again.

"Enough!" a stern voice interrupted the blonde.

Rei looked behind her, and a drop of cold sweat ran down her spine. "M-Maria-sama." she uttered in difficulty. Of course being caught in action by the person who was the closest to Eliot, would certainly not give a good impression to the King at all.

"This is the first and last time you attempt something like this." the woman warned "You are not allowed to harm any of the King's belongings"

Shizuru frowned to that. Even the grey-haired woman helped her, being called someone's belonging was something she despised. '_I belong to no one. Body is different from heart...He have captured me, but there is something he will never have from me.'_ the brunette thought to herself.

"Now, leave." the woman simply said, something that felt more like an order rather than a polite request.

Rei clenched her fist. This was the last time that old hag would scold her. _'Next time Fujino...You can't be lucky forever.' _the blonde thought as she stared at the crimson eyes. Shizuru looked back, as if she was fed up of this already. This girl had put her in a dangerous competition she didn't wish to be in at all.

Shizuru looked at the main entrance of the Palace. She still felt sick from the chloroform she was forced to inhale. Even if the liquid didn't make her faint, it still had the side effects on her. Maybe breathing fresh air was the solution...maybe if she asked Natsuki, the girl would be able to help her.

_'I have to ask Natsuki' _When Rei left, she tried to get out of the door.

"You, young lady, will stay." a hand stopped her from getting outside.

Shizuru felt like a needle pinching her chest by the woman's sudden touch. She coughed for one more time as she abruptly removed her hand from the grip. "I will need some fresh air now." she simply said walking away.

"You are the King's wife." her green, piercing gaze reminded. In a quick move, she was blocking Shizuru's way out again. "You may think that just being beautiful is enough here." the green looked right into the crimsons but the girl's eyes showed not as much fear as she was supposed. "Your body and heart belongs to him."

Shizuru frowned, an expression she didn't hide from Miss Maria. "Your King has only power in the material world. Something that can not buy love or someone's heart."

Miss Maria smirked. "As expected. Even If I had my doubts, now there is no wonder it's you."

Shizuru's defensive position changed into an inquiring. She slightly widened her eyes "What are you talking about?!"

"Always a disobedient one."

The brunette sighed. This old woman had certainly lost some of her sanity during the years. She went to the door and opened it, but the woman stopped her again.

"Your duty is to be by the King's side. To give him power. What happened last night, will not be repeated next time"

Despite trying to not take the woman's words into heart, Shizuru felt it wasn't just an elder person's raving.

"Next time" the woman repeated, finally letting Shizuru go.

* * *

><p>Natsuki was sitting on the fresh grass, next to the pond. Her eyes seemed spaced out, just gazing at the calm blue of the waters. The girl didn't get much, if any, sleep that night. She was tired by her hard work's schedule and last night's events too. She couldn't be calm...but how could she? It was her fault that Eliot had fooled Shizuru.<p>

The girl rubbed her forehead slowly, as if trying to get these thoughts out, or at least slow them down from running inside her mind without stop.

"It's all my fault" she mumbled again, sinking her head inside her hug.

"Good morning"

Natsuki shook her head quickly. _'I really have to sleep' _she thought and heavily exhaled, as such a thing was impossible because she had to start working for the day again.

"Ara...a gardener without manners. You already started ignoring me"

The bluenette widened her eyes, digging her head it out of her arms. "Sh-Shizuru!" she exclaimed. The girl seemed calm and was smiling. "Wh-what...how are you?!" she asked panicky.

"I'm fine..." the brunette said, sitting down next to her. "now that I saw you"

In different conditions, Natsuki would feel embarrassed by such words but...Shizuru seemed fine. That was enough for now, but she didn't want to ask for details either. "I'm glad" she just said

The brunette smiled, as they were both looking at the pond. "Goodnight then"

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Natsuki asked, watching the girl laying completely down on the ground as if she was on her bed.

"I can finally sleep well here." the brunette whispered, her body facing Natsuki's direction.

"What?!" the gardener exclaimed. Watching Shizuru's genuine calm expression though, she didn't really want to upset the girl now.

"It's uncomfortable here after all" Shizuru concluded as she stood up again. "Too bad, because I really needed this sleep..." she rubbed her eyes, trying to make them open. She hadn't realized how tired she actually was until then.

Natsuki noticed some black cycles under the girl's eyes. "Y-You can sleep here for a while if that helps...I will wake you up when you have to get breakfast."

"Such a kind gesture." she smiled, closing her eyes "But my back already hurts"

"Oh...r-right." the gardener rubbed her neck. "I will bring you something then" she said, getting ready to stand up.

"No." a hand stopped her "Please stay"

Natsuki's heart beat faster than normal. It was obvious that Shizuru's night was tough. How could she deny such a simple request...when it was mostly her fault too? Natsuki realized that, even though the brunette didn't voice it, she wasn't feeling fine after all.

"Alright" Natsuki seat down again, near to the woman.

In a quick turn, Shizuru fell on Natsuki's lap, almost like hugging it. The bluenette almost choked by the sudden contact, but for some reason, she didn't want to protest either. '_What did that man give her to drink last night?'_ she wondered, feeling Shizuru's body heat on her legs. It was true, Eliot liked to give his wives drinks on the bedroom. This way, they satisfied him better._  
><em>

'_That...' _Natsuki clenched her fist, thinking of how Eliot would do anything to get pleasure. She would feel sorry for the girl who was caught in that situation but for some reason, Shizuru wasn't a person that made her feel sorry for. That feeling was different, and it looked like compassion rather than plain pity. Her hand started trembling, as Natsuki felt an urge to caress the chestnut tresses on her.

"So kind to let me use this soft pillow" Shizuru mumbled half asleep.

'_I-Is she joking?' _the gardener wondered, while her cheeks took a slightly red shade.

"Agh!" a loud pain yell startled both of them, and the brunette immediately stood up from the other girl.

"Wh-Who is this?" Natsuki asked, looking at the direction where the voice come from.

"H-Help" a man's voice replied

The gardener ran towards that direction and Shizuru followed her as well. Before her eyes, a young man, around Eliot's age was laying down clenching his right calf tightly.

"A-A bug bite me" he managed to say in pain.

"Let me see it" Natsuki approached him. "It's a scorpion bite" she concluded, after examining the bite mark.

"You certainly know a lot" he said

"I'll be right back" the girl said, heading quickly inside the garden. After a minute she was there again, having brought a mixture of water with sunflower petals. "This is a sunflower oil, and it will help me to remove the poison away" she said, as she applied it on his leg. "It is not deep, so there isn't much poison here."

After applying the mixture, Natsuki put her mouth of the wound and removed the poison inside the man's leg. It took about ten minutes, but it was over. "You are alright now. Fortunately, the scorpion didn't manage to bite you properly. It will still hurt, but you're not in danger anymore" she added.

"Thank you my lady." he bowed in front of Natsuki as he took her hand and kissed it. "I'm Yuichi Tate, Eliot-san's cousin" he introduced him self

Looking at the blond man, Shizuru already had started dismliking him.

"I shall go now, Eliot-san waits for me" he smirked, walking away.

"Not very bright for a royal." Shizuru mumbled when the man was gone.

"Just because they are this country's rulers, doesn't mean they are smart too. the girl added, crossing her arms of her chest. "Mai will come here soon and we will have to start working" the girl changed topic, reminding Shizuru that the morning was almost there. "W-We...can talk again when there is time" she added

The brunette smiled, as she looked at those shy emeralds. "I want that too"

* * *

><p>"So, this time you decided to come here on your own, instead of sending your negotiator"<p>

"It seems that every time he comes to your palace, the poor man comes back injured"

"This is because I have warned you. I won't give you a part of this land" Eliot responded, trying to control his temper.

Miss Maria was inside the room too, watching the two cousins' conversation.

"But not everything belongs to you. I have a right on this land too" Tate pressed his index on Eliot's office "But today..." he added "I could negotiate on something else"

Eliot felt his blood boiling. If Tate wasn't his cousin, he would be dead by now for sure. "And what that may be?" he asked, crossing his hands on the table, where he was sitting across the blond man.

"Your taste in women has certainly become better." Yuichi smirked, catching off guard Eliot.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked in a warning tone, stretching his body closer to Tate.

"I like playing with you, Eliot. "

"Just tell me what is this time!" the King yelled, standing up from his chair.

"My King" Miss Maria calmed him down, as her hand stopped him.

"This wife of yours...she kind of saved me today."

Eliot's eyes widened "W-What?"

"You see, I was bitten by a scorpion and she took the poison away."

When did that happen?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just when I had entered this Palace...it is vast, I got lost and I guess one of your bugs here bite me."

"Just get into your point!" Eliot yelled again, not being able to withstand his cousin's games.

"Like I tell you, she cured my leg. See?" Tate said, showing his wound to the King. "Not to mention she's mesmerizing too."

"I can't understand who you're referring to" Eliot said, taking a deep breath.

"By why was she dressed up like that? I remember you giving them nice dresses when they come here."

On that, the King's burst into loud laughs that seemed more like mocking, than finding it funny. "Stupid as always"

Hearing his cousin's mocking again, Tate hit his fist on the wooden table angrily.

"This is my gardener, not my wife...Tate-san"

"Oh" the man for a second was shocked. "Then, I guess your taste in women remains as bad as your politics."

Miss Maria touched Eliot's shoulder, letting him know that he had to be calm and not engage on his cousin's tricks.

"What would you like to suggest, Yuuichi-san?" she politely asked

"This...girl, gardener. She still belongs to you right?"

"That's right" Eliot simply asked, his gaze now stable and cold.

"You could give her to me for now. And no more negotiations...for now." the brown-eyed man smirked, rubbing his chin.

"I don't really understand why you want her. Besides, she's one of my best workers here."

"Deal or not?" Tate insisted, without getting further into the issue.

Eliot looked back at Miss Maria and crossed his arms.

**0-0**


End file.
